HAMILTON S 



iiP 



Mexicm Handbook; 

A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION 



Republic of Mexico, 

Its Mineral and Agricultural Resources, Cities 

and Towns of every State, Factories, Trade, Imports 

and Exports, how legally to acquire property in 

Mexico, how to transact business under 

Mexican laws, Railroads and 

travelling in the Republic, 

Tariff Regulations, 

Duties, &c.,&c. 

and a Commercial Directory of the 

Principal Business Men of Mexico; 

Combining practical infornnation for ready reference by the 

Merchant, Miner, Real Estate Investor, Railroad Builder, 
Mining Engineer and Locator, Traveller and Settler 

BY 

V 

LEONIDAS LE CENCI HAMILTON, A.M. 

Authop of the " Border States of Mexico," " HamiltoEtii^T^r^VOF Co(vo9a."n. 
Mexican Law," <&e. /\^^COP^f^lGii^^^6'^ 

AUG ^9,],883' 

BOSTON. , \^yJ^°-^-'-"-^<^ 

D. LOTHROP & CO., Publishers: 

30 AND 32 Franklin Street. 
1883. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, bj 

LEONIDAS LE CENCI HAMILTON, 

Id the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, B. €J, 



y 



INTRODUCTION. 



The favorable reception accorded the publication of the 
" Border States of Mexico," some four editions having been 
sold since its first publication in San Francisco in 1881, has 
induced ns to enlarge and revise the work until it has 
assumed the form herewith presented. We have endeav- 
ored to make the volume useful for reference and informa- 
tion, and entirely impartial, and have had access to Mexican 
official records and documents, besides many works extant 
on Mexico in the English and Spanish languages, which we 
have utilized in collecting the data presented. The details 
have been carefully collected in many instances from inac- 
cessible reports of mining experts and travellers, and we 
have sought to give only the facts as we find them without 
unnecessary embellishment or fanciful description. The 
principal object of the work has been to give reliable data to 
those who desire information on the business opportunities 
of Mexico, whether for investment in real estate, mines, 
railroads, or any other enterprise, as well as the opportuni- 
ties for trade. With the good opportunities offered by 
Mexico, we have also attempted to point out the unfavorable 
features in order to give the facts, and allowing every one to 
use their own judgment. While Mexico offers great induce- 
ments to foreign capital for legitimate enterprises, it is to be 
deplored that her great mining industries should be injured 
by unworthy enterprises fostered by unscrupulous adventur- 
ers, and bad and extravagant management of inexperienced 
mining men. This will at last be ended and her incalcula- 
ble resources in minerals and agricultural productions will be 
developed by energetic and prudent capitahsts. 



A thorough acquaintance with Mexico and its people is 
what the business man wants, and no book of travel can sup- 
ply the data necessary. The information must be complete 
in detail, giving a description of the republic, its resources, its 
productions, exports and imports, its business rules applica- 
ble to foreigners, its tariff regulations, a list of its principal 
business men, and the exact status of its trade ; the descrip- 
tion of its cities and towns, and number of their inhabitants, 
its factories and various industrial establishments j and 
lastly, a description of its great mineral wealth, which has 
given the great country of the Moctezumas the foremost 
rank among the silver-producing regions of the world. 
While we have not ignored the information necessary for 
the tourist and tra\7eller, we have attempted to give to the 
public a book intended for the business man, containing 
practical business information. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Leonidas Le Cenci Hamilton. 
Boston, July, 1883. 



CONTENTa 



Pagk. 

Inteoduction 3 

Physical Features oe the Republic op Mexico. «. 7 

Political Divisions and Population op Mexico 7 

National AND State Governments 8 

Education, Colleges, Libraries, Museums, Fine Arts, 

Etc 11 

Resources OP Mexico. 13 

Lower California '. 16 

Climate op the Table Lands op the Northern Part 

op Mexico 17 

SONORA 

Boundaries and general description; climate and 
productions .^ 19 

Guaymas — location, harbor, streets, public build- 
ings, plaza, principal business men, mint, dis- 
tances, Sonora Railroad, population, importance 
of Guaymas, commerce. Alamos, Altar, stage 
connections 27 

Hermosillo — Cerro de la Campana, aqeduct, vine- 
yards and orchards, public buildings, hotels, 
beautiful plaza, ladies celebrated for their 
beauty and fecundity, Paris fashions, business 
houses, haciendas, water and wood in abundance, 
factories, mints leased, stage lines, Sonora Rail- 
road 31 

TJres — capital, picturesque environs, alameda, ele- 
gant residences, commercial houses, haciendas. 
Las Delicias, scorpions 36 

Santa Cruz — beautiful valley, haciendas, Santa 
Cruz River, Spanish explorers, Tumacori, fertile 
lands 37 

Bacuachi — rich, mineral region, climate, et'e., Fron- 

teras, Bapispe, Bapepito River, Arispe, hacienda 

of Las Delicias, Sonora River, Moctezuma, Sa- 

huaripa roads, etc.. River Papigochi, Altar 

mines. 38 

if 



Page. 
Elvers Yaqui and Mayo, course and length; fertile 
lands, irrigation, high water, flour mills, oyster 
beds, settlements; Mayo — narrow valley, settle- 
ments; pearl divers, sharks, whales, mantua or 

blanket fish 42 

Indians and presidios, character of the Yaqui Indi- 
ans — Velasco gives them a bad character; Mayos; 
Ceris, their character, location, pelican-skin 
dress; Opatas, anecdote of the Opatas, Papajos; 
"Pitaya-syrup" Apaches, warlike, personal ap- 
pearance, habitation; comparative peace 46 

Discovery op Gold — A natural phenomenon; gold 

everywhere 56 

Mines op Sonora 57 

Mining Districts — Location and description of mines 

of Sonora 58 

SiNALOA 102 

Roads of the State 106 

Mazatlan — coast, harbor, streets, wholesale and re- 
tail houses, description of houses, streets, gov- 
ernment buildings, composite architecture, pub- 
lic plaza, market place, principal trade, Mazatlan 
Eiiver, richmerchants, hacienda of Piastla, prin- 
cipal business men of Mazatlan, hotels, trade 
with Boston, Philadelphia, New York and San 
Francisco; iron foundries 108 

Rosario — town located in a ravine, Rosario River, 
excellent roads, distances, the great Tajo mine a 
source of wealth to the city 114 

Culiacan — capital of the State, productions of this 
locality, cotton factory, stage road, principal 
business houses, Presidio of Mazatlan, ladies of 
Culiacan 115 

Cosala — flower gardens, mining town, peculiar dis- 
ease, principal business of the State, legend of 
Estacata mine, a mine lined with ebony, haci- 
enda of La Labor 116 

Mining Districts and mines of Sinaloa 117 

CmauAHUA 

General description, rivers, deserts, and grazing 
districts; soil and productions, and grazing; 
climate 134 

Chihuahua — capital, its origin, city well laid out, 
Plaza Mayor, famous cathedral, Convent of San 



5 

Francisco, aqueduct, mint, trade, patriot Hidalgo 138 

Las Casas Grandes and its legend 139 

From El Paso to the City of Chihualiua . . . . 142 

Los Medanos 145 

From Chiliualiua to Durango 146 

El Paso del Norte 148 

Mining Distkicts and Mines of Chihualiua .... 149 

DuEANGO, boundaries, physical features, etc 161 

City of Durango, Cerro de Mercado 163 

A Grand View 166 

The Devil's Backbone 168 

Short Route to Mazatlan 169 

Rancho de Morteros 170 

Iron Mines of Durango 175 

Curious Caves of Durango 182 

COAHUILA DE ZaEAGOZA 184 

Cities, towns and factories 185 

NuEvo Leon 190 

Cities and Towns and Mineral Resources . . . 191 

Tamaulipas . . . .^ 194 

Zona Libre and Regulations therefor 195 

Vera Cruz 199 

San Luis Potosi 203 

Queretaro 20T 

Guanajuato 210 

Zacatecas 213 

Mineral Resources 214 

Aguas Calientes 218 

Jalisco 219 

COLIMA 222 

MiCHOACAN 225 

Mineral Resources 226 

Guerrero 231 

Mexico 233 

Hidalgo 236 

Mineral Resources 237 

MoEELOS 239 

Tlaxcat.a 240 

PUBBLA 241 

Oaxaca 243 

Chiapas 245 

Tabasco 246 

Campeche 247 

Yucatan 248 

Federal District 249 



City of Mexico . 250 

Eatlroads 252 

Mexican Taeiff and Teadb Regulations . . 254 

Manneh of Acquiring Real Estate 263 

Mexican Mining Law 264 

Trade with Mexico, Imports and Exports . . 266 
How TO secure Mexican Trade, Business Rules 

FOR Foreigners 274 

Importance of Matriculation 277 

Importance op Securing Patents for Inventions 

AND Improvements in Mexico 277 

Treaties between Mexico and the Uitited States 280 

In Important Decree 280 

Appendix : 

Commercial Directory of the Principal Merchants i 

Federal District, City of Mexico vi 




miii 11 ':^ 

GEN'L MANUEL GONZALEZ, President. 




GEN'L PORFIRIO DIAZ, Ex-President of the Repub;:c. 



GEI^TEEAL, DESOEIPTIOIS 



Off THE 



REPUBLIC OF MEXICO. 



Physical Features. 

The Mexican Republic is a land of marvels for the scientist, 
and, with its grand gorges, deep iarrancas, lofty mountain 
peaks, beautiful valleys, elevated mesas, and ancient cities 
nestling among unrivaled scenery, will always be an object of 
interest to the traveler. Within its 1,224,996 square miles of 
territory, the shores of which are washed by two oceans, may 
be found a greater variety of scenery, climate, productions in 
agriculture, and minerals than in any equal area. Its series 
of mountain chains and elevated plateaus, extending from the 
northwest to the southeast the entire length of the Republic, 
have yielded immense mineral wealth, and contain within 
them deposits of all the known metals. These two great 
ranges of mountains, one on the eastern and the other on the 
western boundary, form a continuous chain with the great 
mesas in the center, and slope gradually down toward the 
Pacific Ocean on one side and the Mexican Gulf on the other, 
interrupted by plateaus, on which towns are to be found on 
the lakes, rivers, and amidst luxuriant vegetation. The vary- 
ing altitudes produce a diversity of climate, ranging from the 
cold through the temperate to the torrid, and a wonderful 
variety of fruits and flowers of every description, from the 
European apple and rose to the Cuban guava and cactus, 
beside other species unknown to any other country. 

Political Divisions and Population. 

The present population of the Republic, as near as can 
be estimated from the work of Antonio Garcia Cubas of 
the city of Mexico, is somewhere in the neighborhood of 



8 

9,525,000, in round numbers, taking into account an increase 
since 1876: divided among the different states, as follows : 

Sonora 125,000 Oaxaca 680,000 

Coahuila „ 115,000 Chiapas 200,000 

Chihuahua 190,000 Durango 185,000 

Few Leon 200,000 Zacatecas 420,000 

Tamaulipas 180,000 Aguas Calientes. . . . 100,000 

Vera Cruz 550,000 San Luis Potosi 555,000 

Tobasco , , . . . 100,000 Guanajuato 900,000 

Campeachy 95,000 Queretaro 170,000 

Yucatan 350,000 Hidalgo ; 430,000 

Sinaloa 200,000 Mexico 750,000 

Jalisco 980,000 Morelos 150,000 

Colima 75,000 Puebla 750,000 

Michoacan 620,000 Tlaxcala 130,000 

Guerrero 350,000 

Total 9,500,000 

With the territory of Lower California, which Antonio 
Garcia Cubas, in his geography of Mexico, places at 23,195, 
in 1874, the population of the whole repubhc may be esti- 
mated at about 9,525,000, allowing an increase in Lower 
CaHfornia, up to 1880, or about six years, of about 2,000 
more. 

National and State Governments. 

Under the present Constitution of the Republic, adopted 
February 5th, 1857, the Government was organized with 
three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial — Con- 
gress, President and Cabinet, and Supreme and Circuit and 
District Courts. 

The supreme legislative power is vested in the Congress 
of the Union, composed of a Senate and Chamber of Depu- 
ties. The members are elected by secret ballot, deposited 
by Electors chosen by the people. One Elector is chosen for 
every five hundred inhabitants, and one for every fraction 
thereof, in each Congressional district. The Senators are 
elected at the same time as the Deputies — two for each State 
and one for the Federal District and Territory of Lower Cali- 
fornia respectively. A Deputy is chosen for each 40,000 in- 
habitants and one for every fraction over 20,000. Substitute 
Senators and Deputies are chosen at the same time and in the 
same manner. In order to be eligible for the officer of Sen- 
ator it is requisite to be a Mexican citizen in the full exercise 



• 9 

of his rights, thirty years of age at the opening of the session, 
resident of the State or Territory he represents, and not to be 
an ecclesiastic. The Deputies must be of tlie age of twenty- 
five years and possessed of the other quahfications demanded 
from Senators. Each Chamber of Congress decides with 
regard to the election of its members, and determines any 
doubts that may occur regarding the same. Over one-half 
the total number constitutes a quorum in the Chamber of 
Deputies. The quorum of the Senate consists of two-thi rds 
of the members elected. Two ordinary sessions are held each 
year. The first commences on the 16th of September and 
terminates on the 15th of December; thd second commences 
of the 1st day of April and ends on the last day of May. 

The President is elected by secret ballot by Electors, in 
the same manner as Senators and Deputies, takhig his seat 
on the 1st of December, for the period of four years, and he 
is ineligible to a re-election to a second term without another 
intervening. To be eligible to this office he must be a native 
citizen, thirty-five years of age at time of election, and not to 
belong to the ecclesiastical state, and a resident of the Repulic. 
The Cabinet is appointed by the President, and consists of 
Secretaries of Foreign Eelations, Treasury, War and Navy, 
Interior and Public Works. Eligibility to these offices re- 
quire the candidate to be a native citizen and twenty-five 
years of age. The President and Cabinet constitute the 
Executive branch of the Government. 

The Judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court and Cir- 
cuit and District Courts. The Supreme Court is composed 
of eleven Judges Proprietary, four Supernumeraries, one At- 
torney-General and one Solicitor-General. The term of office 
is for six years. This body is also chosen by Electors. To 
be eligible it is necessary to be a native citizen, "instructed 
in the science of law in the opinion of the Electors," and 
over thirty-five years of age. The Judicial Circuits are eight 
in number, presided over by Circuit Judges, appointed by 
the Executive at the request of the Supreme Court. These 
Circuit Courts convene at the following cities: Mexico, 
Mazatlan, Celaya, Durango, Guadalajara, Monterey, Merida, 
and Puebla. There are thirty-one District Judges, dis- 
tributed as follows: Two in Mexico, two. in Taraaulipas, and 
one in each of the other States and Territory, appointed in 
the sarne manner as the Circuit Judges. The District- At- 
torneys of each District and Circuit are appointed by the 
Executive, also. 

The State Governments are divided into three parts — the 



10 

Executive (Governor), Legislature, and Judiciary." The 
The Governor and Legislature are elected by the people and 
the Judiciary is appointed. The State Judiciary consists of 
a Supreme Tribunal and Courts of the First Instance and 
Municipal Courts; the latter are presided over in some cities 
by Prefects and Sub-Prefects, and in others by Alcaldes and 
Justices of the Peace. 

In relation to reMgious belief, Article 123 reads as follows: 
"It belongs exclusively to the Federal power to exercise in 
matters of religious belief and discipline the intervention 
which may be prescribed by the laws." The Constitudou, 
laws of Congress, and treaties are, by the Constitution, de- 
clared to be the supreme law of all the Union. 

It will thus be seen that much of the Mexican Constitution 
is modeled after our Federal Constitution, and even, in some 
instances, contains improvements on the same. 

N^ominally all religions are tolerated in the Republic, al- 
though the Roman Catholic predominates for the most part. 
In the large cities some of the Protestant denominations have 
obtained a foothold. On the overthrow of the Church party 
all the real estate held by the Church was confiscated, and 
by the Constitution of 1857 this class of property was forbid- 
den to ecclesiastical corporations. Each State of the Feder- 
ation is declared sovereign, and all the powers not expressly 
delegated to the General Government by the Constitution 
was reserved to the States, respectively. The Federal dis- 
trict and Lower California are, however subject to the Gen- 
eral Government, and controled entirely by Federal laws. 
The Codes originally adopted by the Federal Congress for 
the Federal District and Lower California have since, with 
Bome slight modifications, been adopted by most of the sev- 
eral States, and the laws may therefore be said to be uniform 
in their main features throughout the Eepublic. 

The Republic was declared independent February 24th. 
1821; estabhshed as an Empire, under Iturbide, in 1822, an t^ 
proclaimed a Republic December 2d, 1822, by Santa Anna. 
Iturbide abdicated March 20th, 1823, The Republic con- 
tains 27 States, 1 Territory, and 1 Federal District. The 
present Constitution was adopted February 5th, 1857. 



11 

Education. 



The principle of obligatory education is now in force in 
the greater part of the states of the republic, penalties hav- 
ing been decreed for those who contravene the law, and re- 
wards for those who voluntarily observe the same. Primary 
instruction in the schools of the republic consists of the fol- 
lowing branches: Reading, writing, Spanish grammar, arith- 
metic^ tables of weights and measures, morality, and good 
manners; and moreover, in the girls' schools, needlework 
and other useful labors. In some of the states the study of 
geography, national history, and drawing are also obligatory; 
whilst, in the schools that are not supported by the govern- 
ment, a knowledge of algebra and geometry is taught, 
with the elements of general and natural history, ornamental 
and lineal drawing, and the French language. The number 
of primary schools in the whole of the republic reaches 
8,103. Of the number referred to, according to the work of 
Senor Diaz Covarrubias, 603 are supported by the state gov- 
ernments, 5,240 by the municipal authorities, 378 by private 
corporations or individuals, 117 by the Catholic clergy, be- 
sides 1,581 private establishments that are not gratuitous, 
and 184 not classified. These schools are attended by schol- 
ars of both sexes. Secondary instruction, as well as profes- 
sional education, are under the charge of the state, with 
subjection to the programmes estabUshed by the law, which 
prescribes as a mandate the liberty of education and profes- 
sions. 

In the republic there are 105 establishments of secondary 
and professional instruction. These embrace preparatory 
schools, civil colleges of jurisprudence, schools of medicine 
and pharmacy,(no one can practice medicine or keep a drug- 
store without a diploma from the government) schools for en- 
gineers, naval schools, commercial schools, academies of arts 
and sciences, agricultural schools, academies of fine arts, con- 
servatories of music and oratory, military colleges, concilia- 
tory seminaries supported by the Catholic clergy, blind school, 
deaf and dumb school, and secondary schools for girls. In 
these latter, mathematics, cosmography, geography, domestic 
medicine, history and chronology, book-keeping, domestic 
economy, and duties of women in society, natural, figured, 
and ornamented drawing, manual labors, horticulture and 
gardening, music, the French and Italian languages — cer- 



12 

tainly, a young lady who graduates in these schools may ba 
said to be accomplished, and our female seminaries might 
find some suggestions in a finished education. The whole 
number of edacational establishments is 8,208, with 364,809 
pupils. Besides these are eight model schools; 285,509 
males and 79,300 females receive instruction, and this does 
not include the education under private tutors. There are 
20 public libraries in the state, containing, in the whole, 
236,000 volumes; and private libraries, containing from 1,000 
to 8,000 works, are innumerable; and there are some with 
as many as 20,000, and collections of manuscripts and books 
upon history and travels, literature, law, biography, elo- 
quence, encyclopedias, classic authors, mathematics, phys- 
ical sciences, and antiquities, relating to America, Asia, 
Egypt and Nubia. 

The most remarkable museums of the Republic are 
those of antiquities in Mexico, Campeche, Puebla and 
Merida; those of paintings in Mexico, Oaxaca and Puebla; 
those of natural history in Guadalajara and Mexico. The l^Ta- 
tional Museum of Mexico, to which is annexed that of 
Natural History, contains a rich collection of Mexican antiq- 
uities, hieroglyphics, manuscripts, arms, utensils, idols, 
jewels, and every species of ornaments. 

The Museum of Natural History at the Mining College, 
now the School of Engineers, is composed of two cabinets. 
In the first, there is a well classified colleation of geological 
specimens, and another of zoology, which contains a large 
assortment. 

In the second, are found two collections of minerals from 
Europe and Mexico, arranged according to the chemical 
miueralogical system of Berzelius. 

The Academy of San Carlos, named in honor of Carlos the 
Third, of Spain, is one of the most notable institutions of 
the City of Mexico. It contains several galleries, where nu- 
merous original and valuable old Spanish and Italian paint- 
ings are to be seen. Among others, are works of Leonardo 
de Vinci, Murillo, Yernet, Coglietti, Canova, Van Dyck, Cor- 
tona, Perugino, Ingres, Decaen, Reni Marko, and other 
works of Podesti and Silvagni, and several of the Flemish 
and Dutch schools. In the other saloons are to be seen the 
paintings of some of the most proficient students of the 
Academy; also, many remarkable paintings of* ancient 
Mexican artists, as Cobreza, Aguilero, the Juarez family, 
Ybarra , Arteaga, Vallejo, Echave, and others. 

In the republic there exist 73 institutions dedicated to 




INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL OF MEXICO. 



13 

the cultivation of arts and sciences, of which 29 are scien- 
tific, 21 literary, 20 artistical, and three of a mixed char- 
acter. 

Resources of Mexico. 

There are now being established, in the greater part of the 
states of Mexico, cotton, woolen, silk, earthenware, glass, 
and paper factories, which will add to her present prosper- 
ity. If all this great territory were populated, even in pro- 
portion to Guanajato and its territory, the census of the 
republic would reach 58,000,000 to 60,000,000, instead of 
only 9,000,000 to 10,000,000. This scarcity of population 
is the one great cause of the undevelopment of the vast 
agricultural resources of Mexico; and when they are fully 
developed, they will constitute an element of enormous 
wealth. 

Within the territory of the republic, there are more than 
6700 haciendas, (landed estates) and 13,800 farms, (ranches) 
and not a few other locations, of immense extent. The 
value assigned to lauded property, based simply on its valu- 
ation for taxes, is $161,397,311. The real value may be said 
to be double that amount, or about $323,000,000. The 
maize which is grown all over the territory, the wheat in 
the upper table-lands, the rice in the warm and damp sec- 
tions, the coffee, vanilla, toba<3co, sugar, and cotton in the 
hot countries, and many other articles, among which may be 
mentioned the "agave Mexicano," with its abundant 
returns, constitute the principal branches of national agri- 
culture, and the annual products may be safely estimated at 
$100,000,000. If colonies were settled in this vast territory, 
employing their activity and intelligence in making such 
rich and extensive lands productive, under the influence of 
the varieties of climate, the benefits derived to Mexico are 
almost incalculable. 

The rich and varied mineral productions of the republic 
have placed its mines in the niche of fame; and were it not 
for the scarcity of population before mentioned, they would 
produce a revenue that has never been dreamed of, in the 
imaginations of their Spanish conquerors. 

The mines of Guanajato, which have been the most 
worked, and yielded enormously, still present immense 
wealth, with no signs of their being exhausted. The soil of 
Guerrero has been pronounced, by a Spanish mineralogist 
as one extensive crust of silver and gold. This seems like 
exaggeration, yet it has in a mefisure proved to be true in 



14 

the immense deposits there found. In Sinaloa the wate>«^ 
have submerged rich treasures, some of which have been 
rediscovered. 

The states of Zacatecas, Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, San 
Luis Potosi, Hidalgo, Mexico, and Michoacan contain with- 
in their mountain ranges veins of gold and silver in inex- 
haustible riches. Although the best portion of the mineral 
district lies in the northern states of the republic, yet 
throughout its whole territory metaliferous deposits are 
found. Silver and gold are mostly worked, while the other 
metals and mineral substances, such as copper, iron, zinc, 
lead, magistral, antimony, arsenic, cobalt, amianthus, and 
copperas are almost neglected. The mountain of Popocata- 
petl is said to be one vast pile of sulphur. Salt mines are 
found at Penon Blanco, in San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, 
south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and in the islands of 
the Gulf of Cahfornia. The Lake of Texcoco and its adja- 
cent lands possess an extensive supply of carbonate of soda. 
In every state there exist quarries of white and colored mar- 
ble. The alabaster of Tecali, in the state of Puebla, has at- 
tracted great attention, and the extensive coal-fields, platina, 
and quicksilver mines all add to the wealth of this great ter- 
ritory. Precious stones are not unknown; the opal with as 
varied and beautiful hues as those of Hungary, the turquoise, 
garnet, topaz, agate, and amethyst besides, are found exten- 
sively in many places. Building stone of a great variety 
is plentiful, from which magnificent structures may be built. 
Aside from the amount of ores that are worked outside of 
the republic on account of the law permitting free exporta- 
tion of mineral ores, the annual coinage in gold, silver, and 
copper is on an average of $20,500,000, and the whole 
umouut of coinage since the establishment of the mints up 
to 1875 being $3,001,237,281.62. In the colonial period 
(1537 to 1821): Silver, $2,082,260,657.44; gold, $68,778,- 
411; copper, $542,893.37— total, $2,151,581,961.81. Since 
the independence, or establishment of the republic (1822 to 
1875): Silver, $797,055,080.71; gold, $47,327,383.11"; cop- 
per, $5,272,855.93 — total, $849,655,319.84. Total silver, 
$2,879,315,738.21; gold, $116,105,794.11; copper, $5,815,- 
740.30. Grand total, $3,001,237,281.62. 

Within the last five years, since the investment of addition- 
al foreign capital, the amount additional, on the average of 
twenty and one-half millions a year as the lowest estimate, 
would reach $102,500,000 more, which would make the 
sum total in 1880, $3,103,737,281.62 as the amount coined 
by the republic of Mexico. 



16 

To show the increase of production, from the records of 
the mints, we herewith give the amount coined up to 1865, 
to compare with the amount coined in 1875, from of&cial 
records, the first being taken from "El Minero Mexicano" of 
December 2ud, 1880, and the second or latter from Cubas' 
valuable work, which he claims to have obtained from the 
records at the mints. 



Amount of Money Coined in the Republic of Mexico 
from 1772 to 1865. 



In the Mints of 


BUver. 


Gold. 


Total. 


Mexico 


$2,168,836,764 

1,821,545 

15,626,400 

12,795,505 

35,294,581 

28,288,333 

164,591,216 

48,745,584 

910,927 

204,234,941 

2,063,958 

1,661,249 

959,116 


$77,753,472 

1,286,695 

4,735,286 

8,139,889 

754,487 

15,094,529 

"236,120 

650,008 

2,311,104 

* *20'3,534 


$2,241,590,237 

1,321,545 

16,912,495 

17,530,791 

38,434,470 

29,0-42,820 

179,685,746 

48,745,684 

1,147,046 

204,784,949 

4,376,062 

1,651,249 

1,162,650 


Catorce 

Chihuahua 

Culiacan 

Durango 

Guadalajara .j. 

Guanajuato 

San Luis Potosi 

Oaxaca 

Zacatecas 

Guadalupe y Calvo 

Sombrerete 

!rialpam 


1865.— Total 


$2,680,220,119 


$106,064,534 


$2,786,284,654 



1876 — ^Total amount coined from 1772. 
1866— " " deducted 



^3,001,237,281 62 
2,786,284,654 00 



Increase in 10 years 

(or about $21,495,262.76 cents annually.) 



$214,952,627 62 



The average annual production of the mines of Sonora, 
from 1835 to 1842, was given by Francisco Velasco at a 
rough estimate of 11,500,000 annually, or 110,500,000 during 
the period of seven years. In 1828, Don Juan M. Eiesago 
estimated the annual production at |2,000,000. 

The laws originally demanded that all bullion should be 
brought to Mexico to be coined, and the cost of carrying 
v^as so great that the rich mines in these- border States be- 
came almost neglected by capitalists, and the poorer ones 
nearest to Mexico City were mostly worked. This resulted 
in the smuggHng of bullion out of the mines in the northern 
states of the republic, and no record could be kept at the 
mints, of those mines — ^in fact, there are no reliable records 
that give any account of the exports of bulhon either from 
Mazatlan or Guaymas, although sonie records exist covering 



16 

the last few years; while it is well known that the mines in 
those States have been extensively worked in certain locali- 
ties for over a century. 

Lo-wer California. 

This embraces a territory or peninsula, washed on its 
western shores by the Pacific Ocean, and east by the Gulf 
of California. Its area is over 60,000 square miles. Its 
capital is La Paz, which is the principal town. The 
whole of the center is traversed by a volcanic range of 
mountains of the Sierra Nevada. It is bounded on the 
north by California and north-east by the Colorado Eiver, di- 
viding it from Sonora. 

The soil is generally not productive, though, at the base 
of the mountains and in small valleys, where the decompo- 
sition of lava has been going on for ages, it possesses an in- 
credible fecundity. The formation of the whole State is 
volcanic, and the coast subject to storms. The scarcity of 
rivers bars much of its prosperity. 

The productions are maize, manioc, wheat, beans, etc. ; 
grapes, from which wine of a very rich flavor is produced; 
oranges, limes, lemons, citrons, prunes, dates, figs, pine- 
apples, bananas, plantains, and other tropical fruits; stock of 
various kinds graze in the valleys, consisting of horses, 
sheep, cattle, goats and hogs. Fish, in its waters, abound 
to a great extent, such as halibut, salmon, turbot, skate, 
pilchard, large oysters, thornback, mackerel, cod, lobsters, 
etc., and pearl oysters. 

The pearl fishery is much pursued at La Paz. In this 
region, a gold mine has been worked to some extent. 
There are about 80 towns in the state, six bays on the east 
coast and ten on the west, twelve islands in the gulf, and 
eight west of the coast. 

The territory of Lower California is divided into eight 
municipalities — La Paz, San Jose de Comondu, Mulege, 
Santo Tomas, San Antonio, Todos Santos, Santiago, San Jos^ 
del Cabo. Population, 25,000. 

La Paz, the capital, has about 3,000 inhabitants 

This territory is about to be colonized, as we learn from 
the " Diario Official ' that a contract has been signed by 
the Acting Secretary of Public Works, in virtue whereof, 
Messrs. J. Kelly & Co., of Mazat'an, engage themselves to 
colonize 36 000 hectares of public lands in Lower Cali- 
fornia. 



lY 

The Climate of the Table Lands of the Northern 
Part of Mexico. 

The altitude of the table lands of Mexico has a marked 
eflect upon the climate. In the summer the thermometer 
records a mean temperature of 85 degrees at El Paso, 3800 
feet above the sea. It sometimes reaches 105 degrees in 
July. The constant breezes, however, make the heat more 
bearable. In December — the middle of the winter season — 
the mean temperature is about 48 degrees, the mfercury fall- 
ing sometimes to 5 degrees below zero. ' Snow falls some- 
times two feet in depth, and ice forms a solid sheet on the 
Rio Grande, andthe streams are sometimes frozen to a con- 
siderable depth, strong enough to bear a heavy mule team 
and loaded wagon. The frosts are severe, therefore, and 
grapevines at El Paso and other points have to be protected 
by burying in the earth from eighteen inches to two feet 
beneath the surface. The Eio Grande generally freezes so 
as to make the fording an impossibility during the coldest 
weather. The whole of the table lands is subject to ex- 
tremely cold weather, and travelers not only often sufter se- 
verely but actually perish from the cold when not carefully 
protected. In the mining region of Jesus Maria, in Chihua- 
hua, the ice frequently forms to a considerable thickness in 
the houses. The rainfall reaches from six to fourteen and 
fifteen inches, and when accompanied by sleet and snow 
makes traveling anything but pleasant in the face of some of 
the winter storms that sweep over the elevated plains. 
Travelers recount some very disagreeable experiences in 
midwinter traveling. Mr. Ruxton speaks of riding through 
one of these storms when his blanket, used as a protection 
against the storm, froze stiff and hard as a board while he 
he was in the midst of a storm of sleet and rain. His feet 
were frozen, and he came near perishing. Stopping and 
squatting upon the ground, having lost his way in the night, 
he drew his blanket around him as best he could, and re- 
mained till near morning in that position, with his blanket 
over his head. He says that before morning he was com- 
pletely snowed in, the snow being over his head on a level. 
From this we should judge that the cHmate of these table 
lauds may be said to be somewhat similar to the climate of 
the Mississippi Valley, bordering Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. 
The statement, therefore, that the chmate of Mexico is trop- 
ical will not apply to these table lands. In most of tFe min- 
ing regions of this portion of Mexico snow falls and ice forms. 
2 



18 

All the mines of any value or located in the mountains or 
cold regions. Durango, Coahuila and part of ITew Leon and 
Tamaulipas have about the same chmate as in Chihuahua, 
with a less proportion of snow in New Leon and Tamaulipas. 
The table lands are healthy, and the air is pure and bracing. 
The altitude produces every variety of climate on the 
plateaus until the low lands or plains are reached, when 
tropical features alone prevail. The low, marshy regions 
are to be avoided not only on account of the "vomito" — 
the scourge of those regions — but also the malarial fevers 
which make such localities dangerous for the settler. 

The cliinate of Chihuahua City is about the same as at El 
Paso, with perhaps more cold weather, since the altitude is 
higher, and the mountains adjacent reaching several thou- 
sand feet above the level of the plain, and in the winter time 
are perpetually covered with snow. The peak of Jesus Ma- 
ria, in the southwestern portion of the State, is 8456 feet 
above the sea, and La Tarumara 8340. The city of Durango, 
Humboldt says, is about 6845 feet above the sea, and the 
Cerro de Mercado, or Iron Mountain, adjacent is 8220 feet, 
making the climate, consequently, from the altitude and sur- 
roundings, cold in the winter season, with considerable snow 
and ice prevailing. 

In the mountainous part of Sinaloa the same may be said, 
though the altitude of the whole State is much lower, since 
the highest peaks, viz.. La Bayona and Cabeza de Caballo, 
make only 5614 and 4365 feet respectively above the sea. 
In New Leon, El de la Silla and Sierra de Gomez are 7800 
and 6602 teet respectively above the sea level. 

The State of Tamaulipas has the highest mountain peaks 
ot any of the ISTorthern States of Mexico. Los Gallitos is the 
highest, being' 9633 feet, while Orcasitas is 7562 and El Me- 
tate 7144 feet above the sea. Sr. Don Perez Hernandez, in 
his work published in 1862, gives much valuable information, 
from which we extract the above figures. 

Ruxton says. "The City of Mexico is 7470 feet above the 
sea level, and La Villa de Leon 6020, thus showing that the 
table land of Mexico does not decline so suddenly as is imag- 
ined. Indeed, excepting in the plains of Salamanca and Silao, 
there is no perceptible difference in the temperature, and, I 
believe, in reality but little in elevation in the vast region 
between the capital and Chihuahua. Snow falls here oc- 
casionally, and the mercury is sometimes seen below the 
freezing point. For the greater part of the year, however, 
the heat is excessive, and a low, intermittent fever prevails." 



80NOBA. 



CHAPTER I. 

Boundaries and General Description. 

The name of Sonera is derived from "Sonot," an Opata 
Indian name, which means "Senora," an appellation bestow- 
ed by the Spanish conquerors upon an Indian woman who 
treated them with great hospitality, when they visited the 
settlements of that tribe. The Indians, in attempting to 
imitate the Spaniards, pronounced the word "Sonora." 

The State comprises nine districts: Hermosillo, at which 
is located the capital; Ures, the former capital; Guaymas, 
Alamos, Magdalena, Altar, Oposura or Moctezuma and 
Sahuaripa. The state originally extended its boundaries 
from the river " de las Canas " on the south, to the river 
Gila on the north. The southern boundary extended then 
from the state of Jalisco on the south to Arizona, and in- 
cluded a part of the same. Yuma, with Tucson and other 
towns and ranchos south of the river Gila, were originally 
included in the state. The state was then 1,395 mUes in 
length, but in 1830 it was divided, and the south-eastern 
boundary fixed 54 miles south of the city of Alamos, on the 
border of the Mesquite rancho. This constituted the di- 
viding line between the states of Sonora and Sinaloa; the 
distance from the former capital, Ures, to the southern 
boundary being 354 miles. The northern boundary ex- 
tended to the Gila River, until the boundary hue between the 
United States and Mexico was fixed south of the same river. 

The length of the state is about 700 miles. Mean breadth 
from the state of Chihuahua on the east to the Gulf of Cal- 
ifornia on the west is about 300 miles. The exact measure- 
ment is not known, as the state has never been completely 
surveyed. The most narrow breadth between Mesquite and 
Alamos is about 120 miles. The area in square miles is 
about 123,466. 

The general direction of the state is from north-west to 



20 

south-east, along the Gulf of California. Its whole western 
boundary, from the mouth of the river Colorado on the north, 
extends along the coast south-east to Sinaloa. It is bounded 
on the north by Arizona and iN'ew Mexico. Along the coast 
the surface is diversified by valleys, plains, and foot-hills. 
Some of the plains are 30 to 40 miles, some reaching to 90 
miles, in extent. In the neighborhood of the Sierra Madre 
mountains it is lofty and broken. The surface may be said 
to possess three distinct features outside of the mountainous 
district. First, dry plains; second, elevated plateaus, or ta- 
ble lands; and third, agricultural valleys, or bottom lands. 
The dry plains are located in the north-western part of the 
state, between the head-waters of the Gulf of California, 
and the valley of Santa Cruz, bordering upon Arizona in the 
north. The table lands lie in the north-eastern part of the 
state, extending from the Santa Cruz valley and the source 
of the Bapetito River, the main branch of the Yaqui on the 
west, to the base of the Sierra Madre mountains, which ex- 
tend along the boundary line between the state and Chi- 
huahua. 

From Guaymas to the northern border line, the surface is 
generally level, diversified here and there by isolated moun- 
tains, conical or table-topped, which give grandeur to the 
landscape, without occupying much arable area. The soil 
is of great depth and richness, resembling in many locali- 
ties the famous brazos of Texas, but happily exempt from 
the malarias of the latter. 

In the interior, plains and valleys of immense extent are 
crossed by the traveler, in some instances 200 miles in 
length. The largest river of the state is the Yaqui, or 
Buenavista, which is only navigable for flat-boats in high 
water. The river Mayo may also be mentioned. Both of 
these rivers empty into the Gulf of California. The source 
of each is in the copious springs of the Sierra Madre, and 
they are never dry in the seasons of most drought. 

The river Sonora or Arispe passes through Ures and Her- 
mosillo, and loses its waters in the sandy plains of Siete Cer- 
ritos, about 21 miles west of Hermosillo. The Horcasitas, 
or Rayon, a small stream, joins the Sonora about five miles 
east of Hermosillo. The same stream is also called Opodepe 
and Cucurpe. The Oposura, Aribechi, Santa Cruz, San 
Jose de Pimas, Tecoripa, Altar, and Caborca, are mere 
creeks, fordable when their waters are high, and almost en- 
tirely disappear in dry seasons, some of them entirely sink- 
ing in the sands. The Colorado River on the north-west ex- 



21 

tends along but a small part of the boundary. There are 
many sand-plains along the coast, as well as large sterile 
tracts in the interior, and ouly on the banks of the streams 
or river bottoms are the lauds capable of irrigation. The 
principal sand-plain extends from the mouth of the Colorado 
to the Salinas Bay near port La Libertad. 

The only port suitable for commerce is that of Guaymas 
to which we will call particular attention hereafter. Some 
trade is also done at La Libertad. In Santa Cruz de Mayo 
of the department of Alamos, in the southern part of the 
state, there is a small bay or roadstead called the port of 
Santa Cruz. 

That portion lying between Mesquite on the south along 
the_ base of the Sierra Madre, extending north to the 
ancient capital city Arispe, is sterile in places, but has never 
been completely explored by surveying or civil engineers, 
while the region further north is, in places, very fertile.' 
Ihis territory will demand a more particular description 
hereafter. The most valuable agricultural lands are situated 
on the banks of the rivers and creeks, or river bottoms. 
Irrigation is necessary for almost the entire territory, either 
natural or artificial. The yield in this case is vastly greater 
than is produced in countries where the sole dependence is 
rain. The dry plains are generally level, with a hard sur- 
face, and adapted for purposes of wagon-roads and railroads. 
Experience has shown that artesian well-water may be ob- 
tained. The arid spots cannot be cultivated. The table- 
lands are covered with a short and luxuriant grass, upon 
which immense herds of cattle have been and may still be 
raised. 

We herewith give the following from the pen of an able 
bpauish writer, Velasco, who impartially describes the state, 
m his valuable work on Souora, which has been translated 
by Mr. %e. Page 14: 

" The most thickly settled places are upon the banks of 
the rivers and creeks, while at the interior settlements be- 
tween Alamos and Hermosillo there is so great a scarcity of 
water onthe roads that the traveler is compelled to carry a 
supply with him. It is not uncommon to travel eight or 
even sixteen leagues, (about three miles to the league) with- 
out finding a stream or a place where water may be procured 
by digging. On that part of the coast called Tiburon, to the 
west of Hermosillo, the distance between watering-places is 
still greater, and the supply more scanty, and on the old road 
of Cieneguilla, which is from fifty to sixty leagues iu length, 



22 

there are but three watering-places, inckiding one well. On 
the road from Hermosillo to the port of Guaymas, in the 
dry season, no water is to be had for thirty-six leagues, ex- 
cept at La Posa and La Cieneguilla, and it is occasionally so 
scarce at these places that foot passengers perish from thirst. 
The coast is so dry that the rancheros have sunk wells in 
different parts of it, thirty and forty yards in depth, without 
finding moisture. The region between Arispe and the Gila, 
however, is well watered by numerous creeks, and abounds 
in pools and swamps, and the mountains are well supplied 
with water, and timber of various kinds, such as cedar, pine, 
evergreen oak, ebony, etc.; well stocked with deer and 
birds, and containing medicinal herbs of marvelous efficacy, 
one of which, called ' colorada^' is used by the Apaches for 
the treatment of wounds. The valleys are expansive and 
beautiful, abundantly watered, and clothed in verdure dur- 
ing the entire year; and nature has lavished her vegetable 
and mineral wealth upon these frontier regions with so prod- 
igal a hand that they may well be called the Paradise of 
Sonora. The inscrutable decree of the Almighty has be- 
stowed them upon savages, incapable of appreciating or en- 
joying his munificent gift." 

Thus we see the region north-east and bordering upon the 
State of Chihuahua, outside of the valleys of the Yaqui and 
Mayo rivers, is the best portion of the state, and includes 
the valleys and foot-hills of the Sierra Madre. In this re- 
gion there are now many cattle-ranches of large extent, that 
may be purchased at very low rates, we should judge, tak- 
ing our data from the prices prevailing in Sonora. The 
mineral belt also extends through this region, including 
valuable mines of gold and silver, galena and coal, to which 
' we will give a more extensive description hereafter, under 
the title of " Mining Districts and Mines." 



CHAPTER n. 

1. Climate. 

The climate is varied in the mountain region from ex- 
treme heat to the freezing point. In the winter season, the 
cold weather commences in the latter part of October, and 
reaches the lowest degree, or freezing point, from Novem- 



ber to March. Ice sometimes appears in October, but not 
usually till November or December. In the settlements 
nearest the mountains the frosts set in earlier than in the 
interior. In the latter region, three or four years often pass 
without any frost, especially near the coast. This is true of 
Hermosillo, Buena Vista, Alamos, and in the valleys of the 
rivers Yaqui and Mayo. The warm season commences in 
May, and the heat becomes extreme during the months of 
June, July, and August. 

At Hermosillo, Guaymas, Ures, Buena Vista, and San 
Antonio de la Iluerta, the mercury reaches above one hun- 
dred degrees during the months last mentioned. In Sep- 
tember refreshing rains fall, and continue during the winter 
season. A hot wind occasionally visits Hermosillo during 
the months of June, July, and August, which blows from 
eleven in the morning till four in the afternoon, during 
which hours business practically ceases. The inhabitants 
seek shelter in their houses, and no one ventures forth un- 
less driven by necessity. These hot winds are a terror to 
the Sonorians, and they remember, with some degree of ap- 
prehension, a time in which the wind scorched the skin like 
the heat of a furnace, and drove the hares, deer, coyotes, 
and other wild animals to the settlements for refuge, while 
plants and trees were literally scorched out at the root. 
This '^viento calienie," or hot wind, also springs upon Guay- 
mas suddenly sometimes, and blows for twenty-four hours 
without intermission. On reaching the coast it meets the 
damp and cooler atmosphere, and by the time it passes 
about three miles over the gulf, its heat is absorbed, and it 
vanishes. Water may be kept cool, however, in jars, even 
during the prevalence of this wind. In the beginning of 
June the poorer classes abandon the interior of their adobe 
houses, and sleep in the corridors or court-yards. Others 
often sleep -in the streets before their doors, for the heat is 
insufferable within their houses. 

At Hermosillo and some other towns a southern breeze 
springs up about eight o'clock, and continues during the 
night, making the attempt to sleep more bearable ; but, if 
the breeze fails to put in an appearance, the sleepy god is 
courted in vain. At Arispe, Bacuachi, and Frontreras, the 
winter lasts longer than the summer ; and at Santa Cruz, 
near the northern boundary of the state, the altitude of the 
surrounding mountains is such, that the temperature varies 
from the cool and pleasant to the freezing point. Serious 
epidemics are unknown; and at Hermosillo the only dis- 



24 

eases that prevail, and that to a limited extent, are phthisis 
and diarrhea. On the rivers Oposura and Sahuaripa, 
"goitre," or swelled neck, appears on the necks of men, 
but mostly on the women. The disease is called ^^buche" 
by the Spaniards. Intermittent fevers often prevail, prob- 
ably caused by the immoderate use of fruit, in the interior; 
but they are of short continuance. We may justly affirm 
that the climate is, on the whole, salubrious, and is really 
more healthy than that of the adjoining States, or the cen- 
tral part of the republic. The atmosphere is pure and dry, 
entirely free from malaria, with but one exception, in the 
neighborhood of Santa Cruz, where the adjacent swamps 
sometimes induce fever. The interior of the State is en- 
tirely free from noxious vapors. The air is pure and healthy, 
sweeping over the plains and through valleys from the sier- 
ras and the sea. 

In Guaymas, Matape, Horeositas, Arispe, and Altar, per- 
sons are found who have attained to ages ranging over a 
century. The average duration of life, with the observance 
of prudence and temperance, ranges from seventy to eighty 
years, says Velasco. " Owing to the practice of vaccination, 
small-pox rarely makes its appearance. Venereal diseases 
are not common, except in the neighborhood of the rivers 
Yaqui and Mayo, and on the coast. Catarrhs frequently ap- 
pear in a mild form during the changes of the seasons. 
One may sleep in the open air with perfect impunity, and 
experience no inconvenience. The diseases that affect chil- 
dren are diarrhea, intermittent fevers, vomiting, ophthalmia, 
eruptions of the face, and other difficulties that accompany 
teething. These diseases, owing to the lack of medical 
skill, produce a mortality among children that carries off 
one-fourth from birth up to the period of teething, annually. 
After this critical period, good health generally attends them 
to the age of puberty." 

2. Soil and Productions. 

The soil along the coast, from the valley or delta of the 
Colorado to the Altar or Magdalena River, is mostly unfit 
for productions of any kind, and the land south of the Altar 
River is used for grazing purposes, from the port of La Lib- 
ertad on the coast, in places where the sand plains are not 
prevalent, to the Yaqui River. The exceptions are on the 
Altar or Magdalena Creek or river and its branch the San 
Ignacio, and the river Sonora. Wherever no streams exist, 



25 

it may be safely said the soil cannot be cultivated. Very 
good grazing lands are found occasionally, from La Libertad 
to Guaymas or in its neighborhood. Oh the San Ignacio, 
sweet and sour oranges, lemons, citrons, limes, pomegranates, 
and peaches are raised. The territory between the San Igna- 
cio and the river Altar, produces cotton of excellent quality. 
Several large plantations are in this vicinity, one of which is 
devoted to the raising of this valuable production. Cotton- 
mills are here erected, owned by the Ortizes of Hermosillo. 
Also the "guava" is cultivated, and the plantain-tree at- 
tains a large size, bearing a heavy burden of fruit. 

In and around the territory of Hermosillo large vineyards 
are located, from which considerable quantities of " agua- 
diente" or brandy and wine are produced. Wheat is also 
grown in this locality, with beans, lentils, Chili peppers, 
garlic, onions, and sweet potatoes. The fruits are abundant, 
and the grape, muskmelons, and watermelons, are raised of 
excellent quality. Orchards containing figs, apples, peaches, 
pears, apricots, etc., are found in this neighborhood. Cotton 
was first experimented upon in 1811, but was soon after 
abandoned, and was again continued in 1842, and carried on 
up to the present time at from 12 to 20 miles west of Her- 
mosillo, on the plantations of Tennaje and Palomos, and at 
Chino Gordo, 12 miles east. Sugar is produced from the 
cane, on the coast near the Yaqui River, and at San Ignacio 
and Ceris. The average yield of wheat is 250 to 300 from 
one bushel sown, upon the haciendas of Messrs. Antisernes, 
called the Topahui, and upon the haciendas of Hermosillo 
it rates from 150 to 175 from one. Indian corn and beans 
are extensively grown at San Antonio, Santa Rosa, on the 
rivers Sonora and Yaqui and Santa Cruz, and other locali- 
ties. The bottom lands of the Yaqui, Mayo, and lands bor- 
dering upon the Sonora and Santa Cruz rivers, produce 
wheat, also. On the river Yaqui, beans, lentils, sugar-cane, 
cotton, flax, indigo plant, cofi'ee, tobacco, and various kinds 
of fruits, are raised. Sheep and cattle and horses in immense 
herds are raised, as well as many domestic fowls. The to- 
bacco has a narrow leaf, owing to the lack of proper culti- 
vation. 

Extensive salt-pits are also situated near the mouth of the 
river Yaqui, on the coast. In the same place, and in the 
mouth of the river Yaqui, are located the great oyster-beds 
of common and pearl oysters. The distance from Coccori 
to Cochori is about 90 miles, across the valley of the river 
Yaqui. The whole of this tract of land is susceptible of a 



26 

high degree of cultivation. We will give, hereafter, a 
special description of this region. The soil is here moist 
and alluvia], capable of raising all the productions of the 
temperate and tropic zones. The irrigation is produced by 
annual overflows of the river, and suffices for the produc- 
tion of wheat, maize, and every class of productions yet ex 
perimented upon. This section may well be compared to 
the rich lands of Egypt lying along the banks of the ll^ile. 
Immense sugar plantations may be here established, and 
produce fortunes for the possessor. The best portion of this 
land has been granted by the republic to a gentleman re- 
siding in Mexico. 'Near Altar, on the Magdalena or Altar 
river, pomegranates, figs, and grapes are raised, and immense 
herds of horses and cattle are seen grazing in the vicinity; 
also extensive ranchos that are exceedingly fertile are here 
located. 

In the northern part of the state, near Santa Cruz, is lo- 
cated a beautiful valley, clothed in verdure the year round. 
It is well watered by the Santa Cruz River, that takes its rise 
from a perpetual spring located to the north of the valley. 
Immense quantities of stock are here raised, and all kinds 
of grain, especially wheat, which is of excellent quality. It 
also produces the best red pepper of the state, and its hides 
find a ready market. The distance from Santa Cruz to 
Villa de Guadalupe, by way of Occua, Santa Ana, Santa 
Marta, San Lorenzo, and Magdalena, is 120 miles. ^ When 
heavy clothing is necessary at Santa Cruz, other parts of the 
state are subjected to immense heat. Many swamps are 
in the vicinity, which produce fevers. 

The Presidio of Bacuachi raises cattle, sheep, and horses, 
and produces good wheat, which is mostly grown, owing to 
the early frosts. ISTear the Presidio of Fronteras, the lands 
produce excellent wheat, maize, etc.; also, delicious peaches, 
apples, and the famous bergamot pear. A creek runs 
through this valley, which is used to irrigate the neighboring 
lands. Wild game is abundant in the neighborhood. The 
plains adjacent are all fertile and well watered. The climate 
is cool and healthy, and would be an excellent place to es- 
tablish a colony. Indeed, the whole of the north-eastern 
part of the state presents advantages that no other part of 
the state combines. It is well timbered, has abundance of 
water, and is one of the richest mineral regions of the state. 

To convince one of the remarkable resources of the state, 
a visit to the Hacienda de la Alameta, fifteen miles from 
Hermosillo, owned formerly by the Artazernes, will be suf- 



§7 



ficient to satisfy tlie most skeptical. On the Alameta are 
miles of wheat, corn, and sngar-cane, and cotton. On this 
hacienda is erected a flour-mill of the best description, with 
abundance of water power, and a sugar-mill and works, a 
manufactory of blankets — the wool of which, and the dye- 
stuffs, are grown on the place. A wagon manufactory, car- 
ried on for the sole use of the hacienda, is also located in its 
limits. Tobacco also is produced of excellent quality. Or- 
anges, lemons, pomegranates, and other tropical fruits of de- 
licious flavor are grown in abundance. These places are 
simply principalities, where a man has all the products of 
the earth under tribute and at hand. The large cotton-mill 
near La Labor, at San Miguel, was offered to San Francisco 
capitalists on liberal terms, but was purchased by the 
Ortizes of Hermosillo. The cotton is raised at its very door. 
Lidigo, brazil-wood, cochineal, and other dye-stuffs, grow 
spontaneously on the Yaqui and Mayo rivers; also coffee of 
the best quality. 

The agricultural resources we thus see are rich beyond 
that of any state in the Republic of Mexico. If the state 
were well settled by an energetic class of immigrants, the 
future of this famous state would be of the most flattering 
character. "We anticipate jus' such an immigration on the 
completion of the Southern Pacific and ^anta Fe Railroads. 
"We shall hereafter give some attention to the railroads of 
the state. 



CHAPTER m. 

Guaymas. 

The port of Guaymas is situated on the Gulf of California, 
about sixty miles above the mouth of the river Yaqui, in lati- 
tude 27 deg. 22 min. north, and longitude 104 deg. 30 min. 
west of Cadiz. It is completely sheltered from the sea, and 
is one of the best harbors on the Pacific. The entrance runs 
north and south, and is formed by the island of Pajaras on 
the east, and the islands of San Vicente, Pitayas, and Tierra 
Firma on the west. There is also another entrance, called 
Boca Chica, formed by the island of Pajaras on the south, 
and the beach of Cochin on the north. The length of the 
bay is from four to five miles. The bottom is muddy, and 



28 

when vessels remain for some time it is necessary to sight 
the anchor every fortnight. The depth of water at the 
island of Pajaras is seven fathoms, which gradually decreases 
to two, along the side of the mole. The latter, according 
to the opinion of mariners, is one of the best on the Pacific, 
excepting that of Callao. The depth of water at the an- 
chorage is three fathoms ; and vessels drawing fifteen feet 
are loaded, discharged, and hove down with facility. There 
are three landing-places, but no fortifications, although 
there are several points well suited to the purpose. The 
tides are irregular and uncertain, being influenced by the 
winds from the gulf. In time of full and new moon they 
rise and fall eighteen to twenty inches ; and in the autumnal 
equinox, about four feet. Sailing-vessels are often delayed 
by calms in passing up the gulf to reach the harbor ; but 
since the era of steamships has arrived, it will have no appre- 
ciable effect on the commerce of the port, save only with 
sailing-vessels. The harbor abounds in various kinds of 
delicate fish and shell-fish. The latter comprises the shrimp, 
crab, lobster, oyster, and mussels of difterent kinds. The 
town is situated on the north of the bay, and is surrounded 
by a range of hills of moderate height, which leaves but one 
single entrance from the land side. There is but one prin- 
cipal street, called " Calle Principal," from the entrance to 
the Plaza ; the others being short and narrow. The soil is 
dry and rocky. The climate is not severe in winter ; but 
the north and north-west winds blow with great violence, 
and cause much inconvenience. The summer heat is exces- 
sive ; the thermometer occasionally rising up to 104 deg. in 
the shade, and never falling below 90 deg., from June to 
September ; and when the north wind blows during this 
season from the dry and parched laud lying adjacent and 
north of the city, it is so dry and parching in its efi'ects that 
it ruins the finer articles of furniture. The health of the 
place is good. Water, for drinking, is drawn from four pub- 
lic wells on the skirts of the town, which is carried in carts 
and on the backs of donkeys, in leather bags. There are 
no trees in Guaymas but a few stunted ones in the Plaza. 
In the suburbs is a large orange-grove planted by Mr. John 
A. Robinson of this city, who resided some fifty years in 
Sonora. The grove is now owned by Mr. N. Graff, of Guay- 
mas. Wood is scarce, and is brought from nine to fifteen 
miles from the interior ; also from the river Yaqui in boats, 
by the Indians, and constitutes the only fuel ; it is sold by 
the " carga," or load. There are two kinds of carga — the 



29 

" burro," or donkey carga of 150 pounds ; and "mule " carga 
of 300 ; 50 sticks, or billets, as thick as the wrist, are 
counted out, 18 inches long, for the "burro" carga, and 
sell for 25 cents per carga ; and the same number of twice 
that length for the "mule" carga, and a corresponding 
price is demanded. The wagons used are the latest im- 
proved, although one sees occasionally the awkward cart 
coming in from the ranchos with wheels hewed or sawed off 
the end of a log. The houses are mostly adobe, with here 
and there a substantial brick building. There are about 
one-half dozen wholesale importing houses, and quite a num- 
ber of retail houses. The former import direct from Europe 
and the United States. Lumber is scarce, and is brought 
from San Francisco and Puget Sound. It sells from thirty 
to fifty dollars per thousand. Lumber is admitted free of 
duty. There are no banks either in Guaymas or in the State 
of Sonora ; and business is carried on with foreigners by ordi- 
nary bills of credit, and by drafts on San Francisco, Loudon, 
Hamburg, and Paris banks. The principal business firms 
are Aguilar & Co., Sandoval & Bulle, Domingo Carrez, G. 
B. Fourcade, W. Iberri, Arvillez & Co., J. J. Rodgers, Luis 
Jarequi, Ramon Carrizosa, Aguayo Bros., Echiquyen & Esco- 
bos, and some others, who do a large wholesale as well as 
retail trade. 

An agency of Wells Fargo is the only American institu- 
tion finding a foothold in Sonora. _The American Consul is 
also stationed at Guaymas. There are quite a number of 
hotels, among which might be mentioned, " Cosmopolitan '' 
and "Hotel de Guaymas." 

There is also a shoe manufactory, a soap factory, an ice 
factory, one Roman Catholic church, and public and private 
schools. It is not generally known that compulsory educa- 
tion is one of the Mexican institutions. Courts of the first 
and second instance, a hospital, and a railroad depot, arc 
also found in Guaymas, of A. T. & S. F. R. R. The popula- 
tion is about 5,000. The Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa F6 
Railroad, called the Sonora Railway, commences at Ardilla 
Island, so called, and runs north, crossing a bridge across u 
portion of the bay near the old rancho of Guaymas. The 
laud is level beyond this point for ten miles, and no grading 
is necessary. The completion of this railway will add to the 
commercial importance of Guaymas, and it will open up 
one of the richest portions of the Republic. Capital is flow- 
ing along the line of the railroad, and new towns are being 
established with the accustomed energy of pioneer settle- 
ments. 



30 

East of tlie town, the country is more adapted to agricult- 
ure and grazing. East and south-east, commencing about 
sixty miles distant, are located the rich bottom lands of the 
Yaqui River, which supply the town with fowls, sheep, and 
grain. Flour and meat are brought from the interior; San 
Antonio and Santa Rosa furnishing corn and beans for the 
Guaymas market. Hides and bullion, flour, and, in fact, 
nearly all the exports of the state, are shipped at this point. 
There are two Justices of the Peace, a judge of the first in- 
"etance, and a prefect and board of aldermen. The custom- 
house is very much lacking in store-houses and offices. The 
future of Guaymas is yet to come, through the energy and 
industry of foreign capitalists and immigrants. This will 
remain the port of the state on the gulf, and it will hold its 
influence upon the commercial relations of Sonora. It will 
eventually be the most important town in the state. The 
railroad will soon connect it with San Francisco and the East. 
Another road is in contemplation, coonecting it with Mazat- 
lau in the state of Sinaloa, and from thence to the City of 
Mexico, which we will notice more particularly hereafter. 
A new port, La Libertad, above Guaymas, has been opened, 
giving an immediate outlet to the valuable district of Altar 
and north-eastern Sonora. A considerable amount of east- 
ern capital has been invested in Guaymas and landed prop- 
erty adjacent. The foundries of San Francisco are turning 
out engines, mills, and costly machinery for the several 
mines owned in part here. The steamship lines established 
between San Francisco and Guaymas and Mazatlan are 
carrying this machinery to those ports, and from there trans- 
ported to the interior. A new steamer has lately been 
built for the gulf trade above Guaymas. 

Alamos. 

The city of Alamos is situated some 240 miles south-east 
from the port of Guaymas, on the direct road by way of 
Buena Vista, on the Yaqui River. The town is situated in 
a rolling or hilly country, at the base of the Sierra Madre 
mountains, and is devoted principally to the mines in the 
vicinity, furnishing supplies to all the surrounding region. 
The population is about 5,000. We will give a more par- 
ticular description of the mines in this district hereafter. 

There is much business done here with Chihuahua, and 
the northern part of Sinaloa. The principal business houses 
tire Thomas Robinson Bours, Vincente Ortiz & Hijos, and 
A. Goycoolea & Co. 



31 

Altar. 

Altar is a small mining town of about 2,500 inhabitants, 
and was formerly called Santa Gertrudis del Altar, and it is 
sometimes now called Guadalupe. It is watered by a small 
stream calJed Rio de la Assumpcion, branching from the 
Altar or Magdalena river. The stream is insufficient for 
irrigation in the dry season. The town is situated near the 
banks of the stream upon a plain about 80 miles northeast 
from the gulf coast, and about 100 miles from La Libertad, 
which is located southeast on the coast. The plains on the 
west are dry and sandy, and are a part of the great Colorado 
desert, which extends down the coast near Lobos, about 50 
miles distant in a south-west direction. The discovery of 
mines of gold and silver in the vicinity of Altar gave it a 
great impetus at one period in its history. It is mostly 
built of adobe houses, and contains several retail shops, one 
church, two justices of the peace, a prefect, and judge of the 
first instance. The town is garrisoned by a few soldiers, and 
the streets are irregular. East of the town are situated 
ranchos exceedingly fertile and abundantly watered. The 
place is distant from Santa Cruz about 120 miles, which lies 
in a north-east direction by way of Magdalena and Arispe. 
Santa Magdalena is about 70 miles distant. The latter 
town is also called San Ignacio, and is located due east of 
Altar, in a beautiful valley. The number of inhabitants is 
about 3,000. 

The stage connects at Magdalena with Hermosillo on the 
south-east and thence to Guaymas, and on the north with 
Tucson by way of Tombstone and Benson, Arizona. 

Hermosillo. 

Hermosillo is the largest town in the State and numbers 
about 12,000 inhabitants. It is situated in a valley about 
three and a half leagues, or about ten miles in length and 
five in breadth, sheltered on the north by valleys, hills, 
and on the west by the range of hills called "Chanate," and 
on the east by the "Cerro de la Campana" — hill of the bell 
— so-called because its rocks, when struck together, produce 
a sound similar to that of a bell. The base of this hill is 
bathed by a small stream or river called the Sonora, run- 
ning from east to west, which is sufficient to irrigate the 
lands between San Juanica and Chanate, cultivated by the 
mhabitants of the city, and of the pueblo of Ceris, which is 



32 



in sight to the south; the said lands being in length, from 
east to west, 12 to 15 miles. 

A large aqueduct passes through the middle of the settle- 
ment, which serves for irrigating the neighboring lands. 
Another passes near the river and Ihe Cerro de la Campana, 
and a third divides the city north and south, furnishing 
water to the houses and orchards of orange, citron, lime, 
and fig trees, pomegranates and peach trees in the neigh- 
borhood, as well as immense fields of wheat, corn, and 
other cereals. The average annual quantity of its agricult- 
ural products reaches to about 70,000 bushels of wheat and 
about 300,000 bushels of Indian corn, and an immense quan- 
tity of other cereals. Large vineyards of grapes, from 
which brandy and wine are produced, and plantain trees of 
enormous growth, mingle with the rich landscape. The 
wine produced is hard to keep, owing to its tendency to 
sour, and it is mostly manufactured into brandy or aguadi- 
ente. The Tennage and Palomos cotton plantations are 
located from twelve to twenty miles west of the city, and at 
the Chino Gordo, about twelve miles east. Sugar-cane has 
not been very successfully grown in this vicinity ; but at 
San Juanica and Ceris it is raised in small quantities. The 
capital of the State is located here, and the Legislature 
meets biennially, the same as under the Constitution of 
California. The Constitution of the State of Sonora is 
mostly copied from the old Constitution of California. The 
streets of the city are kept clean and are well paved. The 
principal street is called the "Calle Principal," the same as 
in Guaymas. The public buildings are, the capitol, the 
mint, the assayer's oflice, and municipal buildings, includ- 
ing the prison and public school, and one or two churches. 
The school is held in a building purchased by the city, and 
consists of two departments, male and female. The number 
of pupils is about 600. Public examinations are held every 
six months. 

There are several hotels. The principal ones are, the 
"Iturbide," " ITacional, " " Cinco de Mayo," and "Cosmo- 
politan." All are one-story adobes, with a court in the 
center, where the guests are obliged to sleep in the summer 
season. The houses are nearly all one-story adobe build- 
ings, with occasional brick residences and buildings. A 
new Catholic church is in course of construction. The 
principal plaza, in front of the church, is the most attract- 
ive feature of the city, and is set with orange trees and 
evergreens and covered with lawn grass, with enticing paths, 



33 



meandering through flower beds, and bordered with orange 
trees, which afford an excellent shade. It is kept open all 
the time, and is provided with convenient seats for the 
leisure-taking Sonorians. An eye-witness pronounces it, in 
" size, beauty, and arrangement, as excelling any in San Fran- 
cisco." The whole is surrounded with a very pretty iron 
fence. In the center is a grand stand, from which music is 
wafted upon the evening breeze Thursday and Saturday 
nights, on which occasions it is the favorite resort of the 
people of the city. The ladies of Sonora are very beautifQl, 
and, indeed, the town is known as the place of beautiful 
women. 

The ladies of Hermosillo of the higher class never go on 
the street with their faces uncovered. The "mantilla" of 
rich and gorgeous material is yei'y gracefully thrown over 
the head, and one portion, with that indescribable drapery 
for which the Spanish ladies are noted, is carelessly thrown 
across the lower part of the face, concealing the featurcc 
and over the shoulder, while the beautiful eyes, some lus- 
trous black and others of blue, only are revealed to the gaze 
of the spectator, as they float along with that grace of car- 
riage and modest demeanor for which the Spanish ladies are 
60 celebrated. The latest styles from Paris are ordered, 
and "Worth has many customers throughout the republic. 
The descendants of the ancient Castilians are to be seen in 
blondes as well as brunettes ; and although the taste of the 
people is generally in favor of bright colors, still fashion has 
been wielding her scepter iu Mexico as well as in the United 
States. 

Hermosillo is celebrated, as well as the rest of the state, 
for the fecundity of its women. It is not unusual to see a 
family with from 15 to 25 children. As an instance in point, 
there is a lady residing, in Hermosillo weighing 260 pounds, 
tall and handsome withal, iu spite of her corpulence, who is 
the last of a family of 28 children. This fact is vouched for 
by a well-known citizen of this city. Auother gentleman, 
an American by birth, and at one time a prominent citizen 
of Guaymas, but now residing iu this city, married a Span- 
ish or Mexican lady, and is the fortunate father of no less 
than 17 children. The children of Sonora go almost naked, 
and thrive remarkably well, since the statement of Velasco 
that there is a great mortality among children, to which we 
have already referred. The prominent citizens even dress 
their children only with a shirt, hat, and boots. 

The business of the place is confined to the port of Guay- 



34 



mas and the interior of the state. There are about 30 shops 
and mercantile establishments in the city. The town is the 
favorite resort for travelers through the state. The princi- 
pal business men of the place are the Ortizes, Camous, Pes- 
quiera, Ruix & Mascarenas, Carlos Maneti, Alvistiqui & 
Alatorre, and Antonio Calderon. Most of these business 
houses import direct from Europe and the United States. The 
houses of Ortiz and the Camou Bros, are probably as strong 
financially as any in the republic. The Ortizes, besides 
owning a large number of haciendas, comprising several 
hundre 1 thousand acres, stocked with immense herds of 
cattle and horses and flocks of sheep, and several of the best 
mining properties of the state, own the large cotton-mill, 
called "Industria Sonorense," which employs about 300 men 
and women; also a sugar-mill and tannery. All these mills 
are located at Los Angeles, on the San Miguel River. The 
Camou Bros, own several large haciendas, also, with their 
thousands of cattle and horses, mules, sheep, and large mines. 
They also own the steam flour-mill, located at the city of 
Hermosillo, and another at El Molino Bancho. The town 
of Hermosillo is orderly, and the police regulations good. 
There is a very good market-place for the sale of meat and 
vegetables, but no bakeries, such as are seen in the United 
States, in the city. Water is found in abundance in wells, 
at the depth of 20 or 30 feet. Wood is plentiful, and brought 
from the timber, about two or three miles distant. A natu- 
ral cement stone is within the town limits, that is easily 
quarried, being soft, until it hardens on exposure. It may 
be quarried and used for building purposes. There is also 
a fine clay, used in the manufacture of brick, in the vicinity. 
There is also a shoe factory and wagon factory, and plenty 
of carpenter and blacksmith shops, etc., worked by foreigners. 
Wardrobes and other pieces of furniture are manufactured 
in the town. 

The railroad now being built from Guaymas will add to 
the business energy of the city, and its future is assured as 
the most important inland city in the State. There is a club 
in the city called the " Casion," of about one hundred mem- 
bers, of the principal citizens of the place, located in the 
former magnificent residence of Gov. Pesquiera ; also a 
theater ; and society is of the gayest during the sessions of 
the Legislature, when balls and receptions are quite frequent. 
There is no gas in the city ; but an attempt is being made 
to organize a company for that purpose. The streets and 
bouses are lighted by lamps. Senor Falizardo Torres is the 



35 

superintendent, and Mr. Edward Norman is the cashier of the 
mint which is located here. This mint and those of Sinaloa, 
Ohiliuahua and Diirango, are leased to an English company. 

Hermosillo is the centre of the richest minino; and aa;ricnl- 
tural district in the State, and is the distributing point for the 
supply of numerous mines and haciendas surrounding it. The 
principal merchants are Germans, wlio are doing a large and 
prosperous business. A view of this part of tlie State 
may be enjoyed from the summit of the Cerro de la Campana, 
which lies within the city limits. 

^ The Sonora railway runs from Guaymas, on the Gulf of 
California to this city, and thence northward through the 
Yalley del Baranca, passing the City of Magdalena, and 
from thence through .the Valley of the Santa Cruz to 
ISTogales on the border, and connecting with the Southern 
Pacific at Benson, Arizona. The distance from Benson to 
Guaymas is 352 miles, making a run of about 20 hours, or at 
the present time, of 19 hours and 40 minutes. — - 

Besides the hatural growth of travel over the line of this 
road in the increase of trade, we predict an immense travel by 
tourists over this line as well as over the Mexican Central. 
For the benefit of the tourists, we call their attention to the 
wonderful Aztec ruins lately discovered about four leagues 
southeast of Magdalena. These ruins consist of a mammotli 
pyramid, and a mountain palace. The pyramid has a base of 
1350 feet, and rises to the height of 750 feet, with a winding 
roadway from the bottom leading up an easy grade to the top, 
wide enough for carriages to pass over, which is said to be 
twenty-three miles in length : the outer walls of the roadway 
are laid in solid masonry from huge blocks of granite in 
rubble work, and the circles are as uniform and the grade as 
regular as they could be made at this date by our best 
engineers. The wall, however, is only occasionally exposed, 
being covered by debris and earth, and overgrown with plants 
and trees, giving the pyramid the appearance of a mountain. 

The mountain palace lies to the east of the pyramid, and is 
honeycombed by hundreds of rooms cut in the solid rock, with 
hieroglyphics on the walls, and innumerable stone relics are in 
and about the rooms. The size of the rooms ranges from 6 by 10 
to 16 by 18 feet, and are cut even and true, with an entrance 
at the top. The ceiling is about 8 feet high. The rooms aj-e 
one above the other, to three or more stories high. Here is a 
rare chance for some American archaeologist. 

Tlie increase of the saleof mines promises well for the State, 
no less than six mines, said to be valuable, ranging in 



36 

price from $200,000 upwards, having been sold to New 
York and Chicago parties in the last six months, and more 
are coming every day. 

"For the gold mine of Los Mulatos, $1,000,000 has been 
refused'. ' ' 

The distance from Hermosillo to Ures is about fifty miles, 
situated north-east, and to Arispe, 150 miles north-east of 
Ures, and Santa Cruz, about 250 miles ; thence 170 miles to 
Tucson by way of Magdaleiia, distant 300 miles, and is 
about 100 miles by stage from Guaymas. 

Ures. 

This town was formerly the capita] of the State, and is 
situated in a most beautiful valley, stretching from east to 
west, the soil of which is exceedingly fertile and suitable for 
the production of all kinds of fruits, excellent wheat, sugar- 
cane and cotton of superior quality. The environs are 
picturesque and pleasing to the eye of the visitor. It is 
located on the Sonora River, and on the road from Hermo- 
sillo and Alameda, a road lined with trees on each side 
similar to the Alameda between San Jose and Santa Clara in 
this State : the road in this instance being bordered with 
trees on either side for four miles, and presents an elegant 
drive for the residents of Ures. 

The town originally was environed with numerous 
creeks that threatened it with inundations, when it was re- 
moved upon a neighboring plateau. The town is not so 
large as Hermosillo, yet its neat and elegant gardens of rare 
and beautiful flowers, lime, orange, and citron groves, 
make it a gem of a little city. There are some very sub- 
stantial residences of brick scattered here and there among 
the adobe houses, and even elegant residences, among 
which may be mentioned Gov. Pesqueira's residence, hand- 
somely fu rnished. A large orchard is attached to his resi- 
dence and grounds, with orange, lime, lemon, peach, and 
olive trees bearing finely, besides an extensive vineyard. 

Since the capital of the State was removed to Hermosillo 
the population has shrunk from 10,000 to 5,000. There is 
quite a rivalry between the two cities, and the dispute over 
the capital is not yet ended. If the Atchison, Topeka and 
Santa Fe Railroad passes up the Sonora river to El Paso, it 
will pass through this place. There is a vast agricultural 
and mining country around and adjacent to the city, and 
business is quite extensive. There are some heavy ooru. 



*37 

mercial firms in the city, among which may be mentioned 
Lauro Morales, Joaquin Villaes, Cusa & Co., Francisco Her- 
nandez, Manuel Morales & Co. and Francisco C. Aguilar. 
The climate is much cooler at Ures than at Hermosillo, and 
one is able to sleep within doors. Among the important 
haciendas of arable land may be mentioned, Santa Rita, 
Molino, Guadalupe, Topahui and others. There are no im- 
portant public buildings except certain small houses pur- 
chased during the administration of General Urea to form a 
palace, a penitentiary or House of Correction. Excellent 
stone for building is in the neighborhood of the city. The 
principal hotel is the Gubion, kept by a Frenchman. 

The Rancho of Gov. Pesquiera, called Las Delicias, is lo- 
cated about 60 miles distant by way of Canada Andia, El 
Puertecito, El Molinate, Soqui, San Jose, La Estancia, La 
Concha and Baviacora. The last named town was once an 
important place, with a population of 3,000, and is situated 
in a pretty little valley one mile from the Sonora River, 
in one of the most fertile and beautiful districts of the 
State. 

The grounds of the hacienda of Las Delicias is fenced in 
and laid out with orange and lime groves and flower gar- 
dens, containing rare flowers. The hacienda consists of a 
little over 30,000 acres of arable land, and about one-fifth 
is first-class agricultural land, devoted to the raising of 
wheat, Indian corn, potatoes, etc. ; the balance is very good 
grazing land, covered with alfalfa and gramma grass. It is 
situated in a valley of considerable extent. Gov. Pes- 
quiera has made this hacienda his residence, owing to the 
existence of rich mines in the vicinity, which are owned by 
him, and demand his attention in working them. 

Among the reptiles that are found in the State may be 
mentioned the scorpion, whose sting is deadly. Rumor 
says that they are more deadly in the interior than on the 
coast. 

One citizen near Guaymas was recently bitten by one 
of these reptiles on the hand. He simply twisted a strong 
India-rubber band around his wrist to keep the poison from 
communicating to the rest of the system, and took some 
ammonia, and the wound soon healed, without any serious 
result following. Strong spirits are generally used to work 
ofl' the virus from the system. 

Santa Cruz is the most northern town of Sonora, distant 
about 120 miles from the boundary line of Chihuahua and 
ten to fifteen from the boundary line of Arizona, and situ- 



38 

ated on a road direct to Guadalupe or Altar, which passes 
through Occua, Sauta Ana, Santa Marta, San Lorenzo, 
Santa Magdalena, or San Ignacio, Tenenate, Imuris, and San 
Lazaro. The population is about 800. The town is located 
in a beautiful valley, clothed in verdure the entire year, in 
latitude 32 degrees 15 minutes north, and in a region that is 
XDronounced to be the best agricultural region of the State, 
outside of the bottom lands of the rivers Yaqui and Mayo. 
It is also the best timbered of any portion of the northern 
part of the state, and in other respects presents advantages 
to the settler. Indeed, the valley of* Santa Cruz, with its 
adjacent districts, where there are several rich and highly- 
cultivated haciendas and missions, must become the future 
granary of Arizona. The Santa Cruz River rises in a broad 
vaUey, or rather plain, north of the town, and passes the 
base of a mountain range through an open country, studded 
with oaks, into an open plain covered with luxuriant grass, 
without tree or shrub. It then passes between a low range 
of hills into the valley where the town is located. The 
river then flows south nine miles to San Lorenzo — a consid- 
erable rancho — and then takes a northerly course, winding 
its way through a beautiful valley, until it is lost across the 
line into Arizona, in the desert plain or sands some ten or 
fifteen miles north of Tucson. It is about 150 miles in 
length. Its width varies from 20 to 100 feet, and during dry 
seasons portions of it disappear. This valley was traversed 
by the earliest Spanish explorers in 1535, seduced by the 
flattering accounts of Cabela de Vaca. 

Marco de Niza and Coronado led their deluded adventur- 
ers through it in search of the famed cities of Cibola, north 
of the Gila River ; and before 1600, its richness having 
been made known, it was soon after occupied as missionary 
ground. Remains of several of these missions still exist. 
The Mission Church of San Xavier del Bac, erected during 
the last century, was the finest edifice of the kind in Sonora. 
Tumacacori, a few miles south of Tubac, was the most exten- 
sive. The towns and settlements of the Santa Cruz valley, 
across the line, in Sonora, are, Santa Cruz and San Lorenzo, 
The lands of this valley are suitable for stock-raising and all 
kinds of grain, especially wheat, which is produced of ex- 
cellent quality. 

* Bacuachi. 

The town or Presidio of Bacuachi is located about 50 
miles south-east from Santa Cruz, on the road to Arispe, 



39 

which is located on the Sonora River. It was at one time 
rich in cattle, sheep, and horses; but the Apaches swept 
them away, and the town became almost a heap of ruins. 
It is located in a very fertile valley, near the base of a range 
of mountains on the west, on the Sonora River, that rises in 
a valley north of the town and across the boundarj^ line, in 
'New Mexico. It also lies in a straight line drawn from the 
boundary line between Arizona and Kew Mexico, and is 
distant from the boundary line of the United States about 
40 miles within or near the lower part of the prohibited 
belt. There are gold mines in the neighborhood of marvel- 
ous richness. The rich placers on the Sonora not being very 
distant, great quantities of this precious metal was extracted 
from the mines in the vicinity, of twenty-two carats fine. 
The miners were driven off by the Apaches, and the mines 
were, consequently, abandoned. The gold is coarse, and 
pieces have been found weighing twenty-five marcs. These 
mines might be made to yield a magnificent return if they 
were opened. The future of this mining district is just to 
3pen, since the suppression of the Apaches. A colony of 
miners will here find a rich field; for the whole region is 
rich in minerals, and but awaits the hands of man to develop 
their vast resources. This locality has been peculiarly ex- 
posed to the incursions of the Apaches, and for that reason, 
its mineral wealth has been withheld from the prospector. 
"SYe predict a tremendous immigration to this point and ail 
along the headwaters of the Yaqui River. The climate is 
cool and healthful, and epidemics or fevers are entirely un- 
known, while the soil is of the most fertile character, 
producing wheat, corn, etc., and presents a grazing region 
unexcelled anywhere; and there. is an entire absence of 
swamps that are found in the Santa Cruz valley, which 
sometimes induce fevers. There are here two justices of the 
peace, subject to the sub-prefect of Arispe. 

The town of Fronteras is situated in latitude 31 deg. N., 
north-east of Bacuachi, distant about 35 miles, and 20 miles 
from the boundary line of ]N"ew Mexico. The town contains 
but one street, at the foot of a creek whose waters irrigate 
the neighboring lands, which produce excellent wheat, 
maize, etc ; also, the delicious peaches for which Sonora is 
celebrated, apples, and bergamot pears. The town is sit- 
uated 35 miles north-east of Bacuachi, and the greater 
part of the road is between dense thickets. This point was 
the most exposed to the Apaches of any in the State, but is 
now comparatively safe. The climate is cool and healthy, 



40 

timber is abundant, and game plentiful. The plains are fer- 
tile and well watered. Two justices of the peace are located 
here. 

Bapispe is situated about 18 miles west of the boundary 
line of Chihuahua, on the banks of a small creek which 
empties into the river Bapepito. It is isolated from all 
other towns, and is situated about 40 miles south of the 
boundary line of the United States at New Mexico, and east 
of Bacuachi about 90 miles. 

The creek passing the town rises in a valley south-east of 
the town and flows north-west into a plain about 20 miles; 
then south-west into the Bapepito, near Oputo. A road con- 
nects this town with Janos in Chihuahua, about 40 miles dis- 
tant. This territory of the Bapispe district contains the 
towns of Guachinera and Baserac, and haciendas Santa Ana 
and Loreto ; it formerly comprised a number of wealthy 
ranchos, but all have been despoiled by the Apaches. Bapis- 
pe possesses excellent grazing lands and abundance of water. 
The population is about 800. They are engaged principally 
in the manufacture of soap and leather. About six miles east 
is located a rich silver mine, that has not been worked much 
on account of the Apaches. 

Arispe is situated south-west of Bacuachi, on the river So- 
nora, in a valley skirting an immense table-land or plain, and 
a range of mountains extending north-east and south-west. 
Extensive silver mines are located south-east in this range of 
mountains, called the Babicouicora and Banamiche ; also, 
south-west, the San Rosalio mine is located, also of silver. 
The hacienda of Las Delicias, owned by General Pesquiera, 
is also situated south-west of Arispe. A road runs from Bacu- 
achi along the river Sonora, in a south-westerly direction, 
through Bacadobabi, Chinapa, Guipaberachi, Ciniriasunta, 
Arispe, Bamori, Sinoquipe, Monteport, Bamanitchi, Hue- 
paca, Mochobavi, Aconche Babiacora, Concepcion, Purete- 
cito, San Francisco, and Ures, distant about 100 miles. The 
same river passes Ures and Hermosillo in the same direction, 
until it is lost in the sandy plains on the coast, south-west 
of Hermosillo, and is about 200 miles long. 

Moctezuma, or Oposura, is situated on the Soyopa River, 
in a large plain, that extends from the head-waters of the 
river Soyopa, which runs almost due south for about 100 
miles, and then taking a south-easterly course, empties into 
the river Yaqui, about 20 miles further. A road runs from 
Moctezuma, down the Soyopa River to the Yaqui, and thence 
along the Yaqui to Comoripa and Buenavista. This plain 



41 

is one of the largest in the state, and over 100 miles in 
length, and about 40 miles wide at its widest point. In the 
mountain ranges west of the head-waters of the Bapepito 
are situated the silver mines of El Pintos, Seseutero, San 
Pedro, El Rosario, Cinco Senora, El Humacal, and Plomosa. 
South-west of Soyopa, on this river, is located the Miua 
Prieta copper mine, and the silver mines of El Paste, and 
Los Bronces. East of the latter, the La Barranca, and the 
great gold mine called the San Antonio de la Huerta; the 
latter two of which are located near the mouth of the Soyopa 
River. 

Sahuaripa is a small town located on a branch of the 
Bapepito, east of the river of that name, and distant from 
Bacuachi about one hundred and fifty miles south-east by 
way of the road through Bapepito and Oputo, crossing the 
branch of the river ; thence south, along the Bapepito, to 
Cienega, Guainipa, lascotol, and crossing the Bapepito to 
Huasavas; thence to Baca de Huachi, crossing again the same 
river ; thence south-east toITocori, on the river Viejo, which 
empties into the Bapepito south-west about fifteen miles ; 
thence to Palmar, Oasa, San Gabrielle, through the silver 
mine of San Felipe to Sahuaripa. 

This region is well watered, and abundance of timber is 
found in the mountains. Several large haciendas are also 
in the neighborhood, along the stream and between the two 
streams ; the stream on the north being the Rio Viejo, 
which takes its rise in the same neighboring mountains on 
the east. North-east of Sahuaripa, distant about fifty miles, 
is located the great gold mines of Cieneguita and the silver 
mine called the Minas Prietas Viejas, both of which are lo- 
cated at the base of the mountains ; the Cieneguita being 
north of the latter about fifteen miles. 

A road runs direct from the town through a rancho to the 
Minas Prietas Viejas mine. This is a rich mineral region, 
and will ere long be completely settled. 

The region north of these mines has never been completely 
explored, and has not yet known the tread of the American 
miner. The second main branch of the river Yaqui, called 
the Papigochi or Mulatos, runs south of this region, taking 
a north-easterly course and emptying into the Bapepito about 
fifty miles south-west of Sahuaripa. 

Gold placers are located east of Santa Cruz, about forty 
miles; and the mine of La Cananea south-east of Santa Cruz 
thirty miles ; and the Santa Teresa silver mines and San 
Rafael Valle silver mines, forty miles south-west. The 



42 

Planchas de Plata silver mines are located west of Santa 
Cruz about fifty miles. The Altar mine, or mines surround- 
ing Altar, are located in many districts. West of that 
place the gold mines of La Basura are located about 
seventy miles, and silver mines north-east of the same mine 
about ten miles. The Cajitos gold mines are located south- 
west of Altar about seventy miles ; and south-west of La 
Easura, the placers of gold Micaray, and Alamo de San 
Feliz, silver, are also located about seventy miles ; also, the 
silver mines of Los Palomos are located on the river Assump- 
cion, south-west of Altar about ninety miles, and about 
seventy miles north of La Libertad, on the coast. South 
of Altar about thirty miles, are located the Alamitos, sil- 
ver, and La Tollena, gold mines, near. The Mina 
Grande silver mine is located about eighty miles south of 
Altar, and Latesote near Cienega, east about ten miles. Ca- 
borca gold mines are located near the same river. Bich 
gold placers are also found west of Altar on the elevated 
plains about one hundred miles distant ; and the Quitovac 
gold mines, which were once rich, about one -hundred 
and fifty miles north-west of Altar. So that the town 
may be said to be completely surrounded by mines. 

Rivers Yaqui and Mayo. 

The river Yaqui, or Buena Vista, rises in the Sierra Madre 
Maicova, and takes a south-westerly course through Bapispe, 
Todos Santos, the pueblo of Soyopa, Honavas, Tenichi, San 
Antonio and Comuripa, to the city of Buena Vista, where 
it enters the Yaqui settlement and finally empties into the 
Gulf of California, in front of the pueblo of Rahum. It has 
many branches, and may be said to drain all the region east 
of Arispe, Urea and Hermosillo, to the summit of the Sierra 
Madre range, which divides the states of Sonora and Chi- 
huahua, and north of the river Mayo. 

One of its branches called the Bapepito rises in the south- 
eastern portion of Arizona; and another called the Papi- 
gochi, or Mulatos, at the base of the Sierra Madre, across the 
boundary line in south-western Chihuahua. It is the largest 
river of the state, and is estimated to be four hundred miles 
in length, from its source to its mouth. Its waters pass 
through the richest agricultural portion of the state, and 
.,hrough immense placers of gold, and along the base of 
ledges of silver, copper, galena, and tin ores. 

Its rich bottom lauds are the most fertile of any in the state, 



43 

and raise in spots now under cultivation, wheat, sugar-cane, 
corn, cotton, the indigo plant, tobacco, and the various cer- 
eals. At and near its mouth, where the soil is not under culti- 
vation immense cane-brakes of a kind of bamboo extend 
along its banks for about sixty miles. If brought under con- 
trol by proper agriculture, its valuable lauds could produce 
immense quantities of all the products that an alluvial soil, 
well irrigated, will produce. The best portion of the lands 
are in possession of the Yaqui Indians, with some exceptions, 
but its lands are so extensive that after reservmg sufficient for 
the Indians, miUions of acres of arable lands would remain 
to be brought under cultivation. ^ • i -, • 

Here is an opportunity for colonization that is unrivaled m 
the United States or the Eepubhc of Mexico. The land is 
easily irrigated from the river, and would provide homes for 
colonization of a large population. In time of high water 
the river is navigable for small vessels for from fifty to sev- 
enty-five miles. Flour-mills are located on its banks, owned 
by foreigners— the result of foreign capital and energy. At 
its mouth are located the best oyster-beds on the coast of the 
gulf. We are assured by parties who have tested the quali- 
ties of these oysters, that they are equal to our best Eastern 
bivalves. San Francisco will soon have the pleasure of test- 
ino- them on the completion of the Sonora Eailway cou- 
ne'cting Guaymas with San Francisco. Packed in ice man- 
ufactured at Guaymas, they can successfully be exported 
direct by rail to San Francisco, on the completion of the 
railroad, thus opening up a new avenue for some enterpris- 
ing gentleman who will take the initiative. San Francis- 
cans would like to try some of the Yaqui oysters if they are 
as represented. We understand that Dr. Charles McQues- 
ten of this city, and Rafael Escobosa of Guaymas, are now 
the bona fide owners of these oyster beds, and the extent of 
their possession comprises one league square m the delta of 
the Yaqui at the old mouth. The oysters are found m the 
slouo-hs which extend from one to two miles inland. 

The basin of this river at its widest point is about 
ninety miles wide. After the rains have ceased, the 
river is fordable, though still deep until the droughts ip 
April, May and June. Near Soyopa, Buena Vista, and 
Honavas, are located a greater proportion of the best bottom 
lands. The salt-pits of the river, located near the coast, 
supply the interior towns, and are considered the property 
of the Yaquis. The annual overflow of the river supphes 
sufficient irrigation for one crop of wheat, maize, beans, len- 



44 

tils, and various kinds of fruit, at tlie points thus irrigated^. 
Cotton, flax, and coffee, are also successfully raised. "We are 
told by Velasco, the sheep raised upon its nutritious grasses 
attain the size of a yearling calf, and make excellent mutton. 
Beef cattle of the best quality are raised. At one time the 
Mission of Huirivis alone owned 40,000 head. The tobacco 
raised by the Indians upon the banks of this river is of very 
good quality ; and the plant might, with proper cultivation, 
be equal to that of Havana. Immigration to this region 
must be of incalculable value to the state in the increase oi 
its productions. 

The river Mayo rises also in the Sierra Madre, and though 
it is smaller, and its bottom lands more narrow than those of 
the Yaqui, yet its fertility is the same, and may produce like 
results proportionate to the extent of its lands that are sus- 
ceptible of cultivation. The Mayo Indians are located on 
its banks. The two rivers are separated by a low range of 
hills or mountains, and the intervening hills are good graz- 
ing lands. The pueblos of the Mayos, from the sierra on the 
east to Conicari on the west, are Macollagui in the sierra, 
Conicari, Camoa, Tecia, iTabajoa, Cuirimpo, Guitajoa, Echo- 
joa, Santa Cruz, and Masiaca. 

The Yaqui settlements extend from Buena Vista to Belen, 
over a territory of 84 miles in length. A brig might enter 
the mouth of the river Mayo, and a harbor is located at the 
port of Loreto, at this point. It was the first settlement of 
the gulf, and renowned for its pearl fishery, which has pro- 
duced splendid fortunes. In the gulf, many large whales are 
sometimes caught, of various kinds; also, sharks of enormous 
size haunt its coasts, to the great danger of the pearl fish- 
ermen, who are Yaqui Indians. They always carry a long, 
keen knife with them while diving after pearls, to defend 
themselves. Ihe " manta," or blanket fish, also, is another 
great enemy of theirs, and very formidable. It has fins 
like the arms of a man, says a writer, by which it seizes its 
prey. 

The Presidio of Buenavista is located on the Yaqui Hiver, 
on the main road to Alamos, about 300 miles from Arispe, by 
way of Hermosillo, and about 260 miles by way of the road 
of Matape, which runs along the banks of a stream by that 
name, south of Hermosillo. It is situated upon a small 
rocky promontory or hill, and is, consequently, very hot. It 
claims some importance as a military position, and is sup- 
posed to present a barrier against the revolt of the Yaquis 
and Mayo Indians. Its soldiers are poorly supplied and sel- 
iom paid. 



45 

The recent attempts to survey the lands of the Yaqui and 
Mayo rivers have been suspended, awaiting a petition from 
the Legislature of Sonora to the general government to 
supply a force of 1,000 soldiers to keep the Yaquis in sub- 
jection during the survey and location of certain govern- 
ment grants upon those rivers. For this purpose, a return 
grant by the owners to the general government of a portion 
of the lands is to be made to cover the expense of maintain- 
ing the military in this district. 

The lands adjacent to the town are of the fertile character 
that belongs to the bottom lands of the Yaqui and Mayo 
rivers. From this point, the Yaqui River is navigable 
during the greater part of the year, and timber, grain, and 
other productions can easily be transported to Guaymas. 
Mines of gold and silver are located at Cumuripa, Cendra- 
ditas and San Francisco de Borja, which, when worked, 
yield abundantly. 

The current of the river is rapid at Buenavista and many 
other points. Ore might be transported from this place and 
shipped from Guaymas. Along the river, above Buenavista, 
there are hundreds of veins of gold and silver that could be 
worked profitably. The placers are located near this place, 
and are said to be very rich. 

The town of San Pedro de la Conquista is situated south 
of Hermosillo, on the river Sonora, a short distance. 
Cattle and horses are here raised, and different kinds of grain 
grown. There have been no mines of any consequence 
discovered here. The land is well timbered with iron-wood, 
the mesquite, the huayacan, (a very solid and compact wood) 
and the huevito. An herb is here found, called tlie '_' con- 
fituria," which is much esteemed, as possessing medicinal 
quaUties, and is said to be used as a specK^c for hydro- 
phobia. 

The land is fertile, producing wheat and Indian corn or 
maize, beans, pulse, lentils, Chih peppers, sweet potatoes, 
etc. Figs are raised in profusion, grapes, peaches, apri- 
cots, pomegranates, quinces, sweet and sour oranges, Hmes, 
citrons, and the guava. 

Wheat is sown from October to December, and sometimes 
as late as January, and is harvested from May to July. Two 
crops of beans are raised annually. The first is planted in 
February or March, and the second in July and Augast. 
Two crops of corn are also sometimes raised, the most 
abundant being gathered in November and December. That 
gathered in July or August is generally of inferior 



46 

quality. Grain, flour, and other products are transported to 
Guaymas and other places, in wagons drawn by mules and 
oxen. 

There are several grist-mills turned by water-power at 
this place, the best grinding from 25 to 30 cargas (of 300 
lbs. each), in 24 hours. Sugar-cane is also raised. The 
climate is healthy, and the population about 1,200. The 
town has two justices of the peace, subject to the tribunal 
of first instance at Hermosillo. 

The Indians and Presidios. 

The Yaqui and Mayo Indians inhabit the cane-brakes on 
those rivers, and are depended upon mostly for laborers all 
through the state. They are not averse to labor, and are 
employed in every capacity. They possess remarkable 
natural abilities, and soon learn the trades of blacksmithiug, 
carpentering, etc. They have been known to manufacture 
fireworks, and are skillful players on the harp and violin. 
Their character is resolute, and they are very jealous of their 
lands. They are generally copper-colored and well formed. 
The women are of medium height and corpulent. In some 
of the settlements, the women are exceedingly fair and 
handsome; but these latter are mostly half-breeds. The 
Yaqui, with few exceptions, has but few wants. A cotton 
shirt and drawers for the men, and shawl and petticoat for 
the women, suflices; while the children run naked, with 'the 
exception of a cloth around the loins. Their nature is joy- 
ous, and they are very fond of music and dancing. They are 
suspicious, and a supposition of deception serves as well as 
the reality. They have been known to revolt against the 
government and commit great atrocities. They are brave, 
and have been known to fight steadily for hours against the 
government troops. They shun the society of the whites, 
and only live near them for the sake of employment. Ve- 
lasco says, " They will steal, gamble, and drink, and have no 
generosity or gratitude " — a rather peculiar trait for the 
Indian — yet they work in the mines, till the soil, build 
houses, and perform nearly all the labor of Sonora. They 
alone of all the Indians are skillful pearl-divers ; but so 
"great is their love of robbery," says Francisco Velasco,' 
an impartial Spanish writer, " that they abandon any occu- 
pation, however profitable, for the purpose of stealing 
cattle and horses from the ranches in the neighborhood of 
the river. This they practice even in times of peace." 



47 

But Mr. Andrade tells us that this is not so at present. 
They have greatly improved since the writing of Velasco's 
book. Their population amounts to 13,500 in the state, ac- 
cording to Cubas. 

The Mayos possess the same characteristics as the Yaquis. 
Being located on the Mayo, they are called Mayos. The 
Ceris are more allied to savages, are filthy, drunken, and 
bitterly hostile to the whites. They are located by the gov- 
ernment upon the pueblo of San Pedro de ia Conquista, 
where they have lands assigned to them for their support. 
They are lazy, and dress themselves in either the skins of 
the pelican or a coarse blanket wrapped around the waist. 
Some wear nothing but a strip of cloth about the loins, and 
none wear shoes. They paint their faces in black stripes, and 
many pierce the cartilages of the nose, and append to it 
pieces of a green stone resembling glass. The women per- 
form the greater part of the labor, gathering the crops, etc. 
The men are tall, erect, and generally stout. The women 
are copper-colored, and wear a petticoat made of the pelican 
skin, with the feathers, which covers the form from the 
waist down. They worship the moon, and prostrate them- 
selves, beating their breasts, and kiss the ground on the 
appearance of the new moon. 

The Opataa are more frank and docile, and are friendly 
towards the whites, many of them serving as soldiers. 
They are brave to the last extremity, and have been known 
to withstand an onset of the Apaches outnumbered eight to 
one. They are just and humane in their dealings, and ca- 
pable of a high degree of education. They are the bitter 
foes . of the Apaches, showing them no mercy in an en- 
counter. 

The Opatas live in several of the towns, where the mixed 
race predominates, called Opodepe, Cucurpe, Suaque, Acon- 
chi, Babiacora, Arivechi, Santo Tomas, Bacanora, and 
Kuri in the center ; Oposura, Guayavas, Baca de Huachi, 
Nacori, Mochop, and Oputo in the sierra ; Chinapa, Bacuachi, 
Cuquiurachi, and Cumpas, to the north. The Opatas are 
able-bodied, and as fleet as the game they pursue. Their 
haughty character is illustrated by the following, related by 
Cubas, of a band of them in rebellion : " Persecuted by 
General Gandara with very superior forces, in consequence 
of an insurrection, they refused to surrender themselves, 
even after each one at his post had shot his last arrow. 
Their captain, with some few who had survived the contest, 
took refuge on the summit of an almost inaccessible mount- 



48 

aiu, and there awaited the approach of General Gandara'a 
emissaries, who had intimated their submissiion. Believing 
themselves humiliated at the demand for the delivery of 
their arms, they declared to the envoys of the general their 
resolution to deliver themselves up to their conquerors, with- 
out abandoning their arms. Upon General Gandara's insist- 
ing in his demands, and they in their resolution, their conduct 
decided him to take them prisoners by force, which they 
avoided by an act worthy of the ancient Spartans, in throw- 
ing themselves over the precipice at the moment the gen- 
eral's troops were ascending the heights." The Opatas are 
most useful citizens, and have on many occasions proved 
their loyalty to the Mexican Government by resisting the 
attacks of the Apaches. They seldom go barefooted, every 
man has a blanket, and every woman a long scarf. They 
are good carpenters, masons, shoemakers, and house-paint- 
ers, and manufacture blankets, shawls, coarse cottons, sad- 
dles, pack-saddles, bridles, etc., and considerable quantities 
of soap. 

The Papajos are numerous, and located in the western 
part of the state, subsisting principally on wild fruits, espe- 
cially the " pitaya, " from which they manufacture a deli- 
cious syrup, and carry it to the settlements for sale in earthen 
jars. In the winter they resort to the settlements of La 
Pimeria to trade, exchanging skins and baskets. This 
tribe is also the sworn enemy of the Apaches. 

The Apaches are divided into the Coyotes or Pinelores, 
the Tontos, Ohiricahuis, Mimbrenos, Gilenos, Mescaleros, 
Sacramautenos, Mogollones, Carrizallenos, Gipanes, Fara- 
ones, and I^avajoes. They have had no fixed habitation, 
and reside in the mountains and on the ■ plains, and often 
make incursions into Sonora, near Altar and Magdalena, and 
also in the north-east, in the mountains of Chihuahua, near 
Janos, and in Coahuilla. They are the most savage of all the 
Indians of Mexico, and are exceedingly fleet, both in trav- 
ersing the vast plains and in climbing the rugged eminences 
of the mountains ; and, besides, are excellent horsemen. 
Their arms are mostly the bow and arrow ; but some few 
have fire-arms, and a lance with a flint point. They use a 
leather quiver, and a shield of leopard's skin, ornameated 
with feathers and with small mirrors in the center. They 
are cowardly, and only attack unawares ; crafty and treach- 
erous, and scalp their victims. They make use of smoke 
for telegraphic signals. They are fond of hunting deer and 
wild boars, "ciballos," or Mexican bulls, black bears, wild 



49 

goats, and Rocky Mountain sheep. Their dress consists of a 
strip of liuea passing between their thighs, and fastened at 
the waist, and leggings of deerskin with fringes, ornamented 
with beads, and garnished with leather strings, and wear 
pendants and ear-rings, and in their hair they fasten a long 
false braid, adorned with trinkets, shells, or silver buckles. 
The women, who are as active as the men in their habits, 
use very short garments of deer-skin or kid, which they call 
"tlacalee," with fringes of leather strings, on the edges of 
which are hung casebels, tassels, and red beads. They wear, 
also, a kind of jacket called "bietle," made of the entire 
deer-skin, open in front, ornamented in the same manner. 
They wear moccasins of deer-skin, the same as the men, 
which are called "teguas," and are fastened to the leggings. 
They are all of swarthy complexion, well proportioned, wear 
long hair, and no beard. Both the men and women have 
very small feet. The women decorate themselves with ear- 
rings of shells, or small green and white stones, resembling 
crystal ; and in some instances the men are decorated in 
like manner. Their huts are simply poles covered with 
grass or skins, and a small door, admitting a grown person. 
If the place is wooded, they encamp at the foot of a tree, 
and cover the branches with grass to protect them from the 
rain ; but generally they live without any protection what- 
ever. Their atrocities are well known, and they have long 
been a terror to the Sonorians ; but the dispersion of Vic- 
torio's band subdued them, with the exception of small rov- 
ing bands, that do not hesitate to attack even the stages, 
as they did but a short time since, near Mesilla, in New 
Mexico. Comparative peace may be said to exist, though 
settlers may do well to keep on the lookout, and travel well 
armed. 



DISCOVERY OF GOLD. 



In 1799, the first discovery of gold in the western part of 
the state was made at San Ildefonso de la Cieneguilla, about 
forty miles south or south-east of Altar, of which many 
incorrect accounts hare been published. This discovery was 
accidental, and occurred as follows : 

" A company of soldiers from Altar, on their way to chas- 
tise the Ceris, having gone in a south-east direction, en- 
camped in that neighborhood. One of their number, who 
was strolling about one hundred yards from the camp, 
observed that the bed of a small ditch formed by the rain 
was of a yellowish color, and on further examination, he 
collected a number of pieces of gold from the size of a 
lentil to that of a bean. He reported this to the commander 
of the detachment, who immediately ordered a careful 
examination of the surrounding country, the result being 
the discovery of gold in all parts in greater or less quanti- 
ties. The gold lay upon the surface, scattered like grains 
of corn. The gambucinos followed its direction to the west 
to the distance of six or nine miles, where they encountered 
a natural phenomenon. Q'he beds of all the ravines within 
a circumference of more than 12 miles was covered with 
particles of gold, hundreds of these weighing from one to 
27 marcs, and presenting the appearance of having passed 
through a furnace." — Velasco. 

After the surface gold was exhausted, shafts were sunk 
and tunnels run through a vein of calcareous stone in some 
places, and in others through a stratum of red stone, both 
of which contained gold, and from which large quantities 
were extracted. The mine was actively worked until 1803, 
when a second mine was discovered, called San Francisco, 
21 miles east of Cieneguilla, which is about 40 miles south- 
east of Altar. " This mine proved extremely rich, the gold 
being scattered about on the surface in great abundance, 
especially in the ravines. In the ravine called San Miguel- 
ena, the gold was so abundant that three, four, and even five 

60 



51 

marcs were often collected iu live minutes ; the grains being 
the size of a bean. Large lumps were occasionally discov- 
ered. One found by a Yaqui weighed 100 ounces, and an- 
other weighed 28 marcs. Qui to vac, San Antonio, Souoita, 
El Zone, La Basura, San Perfecto, Las Palomas, El Alamo, 
El Muerto, and Vado Seco, are gold mines discovered from 
1834 to 1841 in the vicinity of Altar." 

Mines of Sonora. 

The mines of Sonora have been worked from time im- 
memorial. The immense number of old mines that have a 
history clouded with early traditions prove the ancient char- 
acter of the mines of Sonora. Some have been known to 
reach back one hundred years, and others have no data to 
determine the first period in their history. The number of 
abandoned mines are considerable, some of which were un- 
questionably exhausted, while others were abandoned on 
account of the ignorance of the miners on reaching oresthat 
were refractory or hard to work. Right here it might be 
well to caution American capitalists against buying holes in 
the ground, solely because, at one period in their history, 
they had yielded millions. 

Most of the abandoned mines, or quite a large number of 
them, and of the richest, have been ruined by the class of 
miners of Mexico called "gambucinos, " a poor class who had 
no capita], and were in search of " bonanzas," or rich spots, 
working these solely, and filling the drifts and shafts behind 
them with rejected ores and rubbish, so that, when they 
finished a mine it was almost entirely ruined. In some in- 
stances, they have extracted the pillars of old mines of great 
value, and the walls have fallen in, thus doing an incalculable 
injury to the mines of the state. There is an old Spanish 
proverb that tersely states: "It takes another mine to work a 
mine." 

This is undoubtedly true of every mine abandoned by 
these miners. We use strong language on account of the 
destruction following in the wake of the "gambucinos." 
The warning of Mr. Mowry to capitalists iu his valuable 
work on Arizona and Sonora, we herewith quote, and 
leave its lesson with our readers. He says : "As it is desir- 
able that, in the investment of foreign capital there should 
be no error committed at the outset, than which nothing 
would retard the progress of this new mining field more; all 
persons new to the country had better leave abandoned mines 



52 



alone, unless directed to them by persont^ long resident in 
the country, whose character and veracity- are undoubted, 
and who, after the investigation of all the facts, current ac- 
counts, and traditions, have full confidence in some abandoned 
mine or other. There are, undoubtedly, many abandoned 
mines that are well worthy of attention and outlay of capital, 
but strangers are not likely to know at once which of the 
many deserted mines it will be prudent to meddle with. 
Under the present state of things, the safest investments for 
new comers will be those mines that have bona fide owners, foi\ 
as long as a mine can he worked according to the custom of the 
country, it is hardly ever abandoned altogether. The owners 
are fully alive to the value of their loossessions, and as they are 
already ]n a more or less independent position, and always 
in expectation of a sudden fortune, they are not anxious to 
sell unless induced by a fair offer. It is not advisable to enter 
into any arrangement with Mexican miners to furnish capital 
to open up a mine, but it is better to buy the whole at once." 

The Mexican people are shrewd and full of grandiose 
language, extravagant in speech, and due caution in taking 
their description of properties, with some allowance when 
they are anxious to sell, is of the first importance. It may 
be well to remember that where an anxiety to sell is appar- 
ent, that the purchaser will do well to make haste slowly, 
and look further for investment. The properties that are 
being worked, and where a fair examination can be made 
by reliable mining engineers, are the ones to buy. These 
are mostly not for sale, but they may be purchased on a 
liberal offer. Another way to obtain properties of value, is 
to prospect for new mines, and when a discovery is made, b}"- 
" denouncement " a title may be obtained under the laws of 
Mexico that is perfectly valid; and indeed, this is one of 
the safest means to obtain valuable mines; for the whole state 
is rich in veins of gold and silver. In the appendix may be 
found an abstract of the mining laws of Mexico, with direc- 
tions as to the obtaining of properties in the republic. 

As an instance of the unreliability to be placed on repre- 
sentations of the riches of mines that are for sale in Mexico, 
we give the following data : A company of gentlemen of 
this city were induced to open up an abandoned mine, called 
Santa Gertrudis, near Altar, which was represented by the 
parties interested, to be very rich. The vein first discovered 
was narrow, but was followed down on the assurance that it 
would become broader and richer. Extensive plans were 
entered upon; a stamp mill and engines purchased, ready to 



53 

be shipped as soon as the mine was developed sufficiently to 
warrant the erection of the works. The vein was followed 
for nearly 200 feet, and some 130,000 were expended. The 
result was unsatisfactory and the mine was abandoned; the 
representations being entirely erroneous, to say the least, 
as far as the experiment progressed. Thus, it is easily seen 
that experiments in mines in Sonora are as unsatisfactory as 
in California; and it is well to be cautioned in advance in 
regard to abandoned mines and properties that are found up- 
on the market. We could point out other instances with simi- 
results. The -paying inines, as a rule, are not for sale, though 
there are some exceptions, and no greater mistake can be 
made than to expect a rich mine in as old a mining state as 
Sonora, to be bought for a mere nominal sum. There are 
exceptions, but they are rare; a fair offer has to be made to 
purchase a valuable mine. 

Mining Districts of the State of Sonora, and Location 
and Description of Mines. 

The Alamos mining district is situated some 240 miles 
south-east from the port of Guaymas, on the direct road from 
that point to El Fuerte in Sinaloa, and on the road also from 
Arispe on the north to the same place, and from thence to 
Culiacan and Cosala and Mazatlan. This district is partic- 
ularly rich in silver leads. The principal mines are as fol- 
lows: The most ancient and richest mine is the Quintera, 
several millions having been taken from it since its discov- 
ery, over 100 years ago. It is of immense depth, and has 
been abandoned, and is worked occasionally by gambuciuos, 
and is mostly exhausted. There are many old mines of 
whose origin we can obtain no data, their origin being known 
only by tradition. Among the Promontorio mines in the 
small Real of Promontorio, five miles north of Alamos, may 
be mentioned the Nuestra Senora de Vabranora, which was 
owned and worked by the family of Almados for the last 
century. Don Josd M. Almado reached a deposit of black 
ores at a depth of 600 feet with surprising results. The 
present owners are an English company, who purchased the 
mine from Mr. Robinson of Guaymas. The ores are reduced 
at the works situated at Las Mercedes, about two miles east 
of Alamos. The Promontorio mines contain the best ores 
in the district. The Promontorio mine, from which the 
mines were named, especially has produced exceedingly 
rich and abundant ores. The Tirite mine, to the south of 



54 

and adjoining the Promontorio, is said to be still richer, but 
its vein is not so wide. It was formerly owned by James 
Brady of Guaymas, who reopened it by running a tunnel 
into the heart of the vein. The pillars in the old shaft and 
drifts were taken out some years ago b}^ Pascual Gomez, 
and two of them yielded $80,000. The Dios Padre mine, 
adjoining the Promontorio on the north, was, prior to 1860, 
owned and worked by Fernando Aduana, son-in-law of Jose' 
de Almado. In August, 1860, Mr. Andrew J. Wiley from 
California purchased the mine, and associated himself with 
Messrs. W. W. Light, D. Maddox, U. F. Moulton, Skiuke, 
Backus, Beard, Sanborn, Oatmau, liobinson, and L. A. Gar- 
net. The mine was reopened by a shaft and yielded very 
profitably. 

The Quintera and Libertad mines are located north of the 
Dios Padre, The Pulpito, on the same lead, was discovered 
by a Mexican, who worked it secretly. In January, 1861, 
Mr. Benjamin Rountree purchased the rights of both parties 
and associated with himself Messrs. W. W. Light, Johnson, 
Price, Thos. Finley, Robert 8. Stillwell, J. R. Hardenburg, 
and others, and they proceeded to open up the mine, but 
found it unprofitable and abandoned it. The Kacharama 
mine is situated nine miles from Alamos, and is one of the 
most celebrated in the district, but it was abandoned on ac- 
count of the influx of water. In 1860 the mine was pur- 
chased by Messrs. W". T. Robinson, J. G. Baldwin, Thomas 
H. Williams, Wm. S. Long, Henry Fouche, and others. 
The mine had the reputation of being rich at the time of its 
purchase. The Vista ITacacharama mine was purchased by 
Messrs. Robinson, Ira Oatman, Goggins, Bowman and White- 
side, and was called the Sacramento Company's mine. The 
Mina Grande, Europia, Iglesia, and Palomos are well spoken 
of by tradition. The first two were denounced by Michael 
Gray in January, 1860, and afterwards sold to John Heard. 
The Pietras Verdes, 15 miles north of Alamos, and Kar- 
vayez, in the Promontorio, are filled with water. 

There are three large haciendas for the reduction of 
metals in the city of Alamos, called La Aurora, LaUbalama, 
and Las Cabras. 

The district or Real of Minas JSTuevas is located about two 
leagues west of Alamos, and contains many rich mines, 
among them, San Jos^ Ubalama, which is situated six miles 
from Alamos, and was owned by W. J. Hill and E. B. 
Johnson, who erected machinery at the mine to work it. 
Tradition spoke of it as exceedingly rich. The Descubri- 



55 

dora, Eosario de Talpa, Sambono, and others, are located 
in this district. 

The Eosario de Talpa and the Sambono were once suc- 
cessfully worked by Mr. Robinson of Guaymas, and T. Rob- 
inson Bours, formerly of Stockton, but who now resides at 
Alamos. The San Jose mine is situated six miles from 
Alamos, in this district, and was owned by W. J. Hill and E. 
B. Johnson, in 1861, who placed machinery at the mine to 
develop its riches, which tradition declared to be fabulous. 
There are many other mines in the vicinity, as we have only 
mentioned the principal ones, and the district is unquestion- 
ably one of the richest in Sonora. 

The mine called Bulvaneda, situated in Promontorio, for- 
merly belonged to Jos6 Maria Almado. It was formerly 
rich, and yielded handsomely up to 1861, though the water 
flowing into it caused such trouble and expense that it was 
afterward abandoned. La Europita, in the Promontorio, 
was worked by Don Manuel Salido up to 1801, with good re- 
sults. 

Lead is found in the ores of the Promontorio mines, which 
may be used for smelting, although most of the ore is re- 
duced by mills. La Europita was once one of the richest 
mines of the district, and with Quintera, produced an im- 
mense amount of silver. These two mines gave to Alamos 
its greatest celebrity. The former was worked up to 1861. 

Although Aduaiia is generally included in the district of 
Alamos, yet it possesses a group of mines that are distin- 
guished from the Promontorio mines. The Aduana is sit- 
uated about three miles west of Alamos. In this district, 
which, with that of the Promontorio, comprises an area of 
eight leagues, with the face of a small mountain range in- 
cluded on the south, are located many old and new mines 
over the whole area, which Velasco pronounces, that "with- 
out exaggeration, there is not a hand's breadth of the soil 
which does not contain some vein of the precious metal." La 
Cotera and Santo Domingo, and IiTacacharama and La Liber- 
tad in the Aduaiia, were all worked up to 1861. Calesa and 
Los Cangrejos are full of water. 

There are five haciendas in Aduaiia for the reduction of 
ore — one in Talajiossa called Zarragoitas, La Espinosa, and 
the old hacienda of Promontorio; also, two in MiuasKuevas; 
making eleven in all. 

The district of Alamos contributes very brgely to the ex- 
port of silver from Sonora, part of which is exported from 
the port of Santa Cruz de Mayo, south of Alamos, on the 



56 

coast, distant about 100 miles, which is said to be one of the 
favorite points for smuggling bullion out of the state, while 
the larger proportion is carried to Guaymas. 

San Ildefonso de la Cieneguilla. 

This district is located in the western part of Sonora and 
north-west of Hermosillo about 100 miles, and south-eas' of 
Altar the same distance. Scarcely any region equals this in 
its number of veins of gold and silver. Its first mine, called 
Descubridora, was discovered four years after the first pla- 
cers, to which we have referred under the heading of " The 
Discovery of Gold." This mine-yielded abundant quantities 
of silver ores, the yield of the poorest being five to seven 
and the best 12 to 15 marcs to the " bulto " of three cargas 
(900 lbs.). Its owner received from it, in less than four 
years, $2,000,000. Fifty small establishments for crushing 
ores were erected and in constant operation, from which 
large profits were realized. The vein was crossed, after the 
mine had been worked for five years, by a species of hard 
rock, called " caballo," which was again repeated. This 
discouraged its owner, and the pillars were removed, which 
yielded §500,000, and supports of strong timber exchanged 
for them; but the gambucinos soon left the mine in ruins. 
Many other mines were d.iscovered in the neighborhood, 
but none so rich or abundant in ores. Only one exceeded it 
in the quantity of its ores, viz: the Cerro Colorado, in the 
Cieneguita district, six leagues to the east of Cieneguilla, on 
the right of the road to the placers of San Francisco. 

From the appendix of the work entitled "Sonora," a 
translation of Francisco \^elasco's great work, by Mr. Wm. 
F. Nye, published in 1861, we quote the following interest- 
ing fact in relation to the Cerro Colorado mine. He says : 
" The Cerro Colorado mine is situated some eight or nine 
leagues from the city of Alamos, on the bank of the Mayo 
River, and derives its name from the reddish color of the 
mountain in which it is located. It was formerly owned by 
Castro and Don Manuel Salida, and afterwards by Dr. W. J. 
Hill, of Alamos, who sold one-half his interest some few 
months since for |12,000. Messrs. J. S. Garwood, E. D. 
Wheeler, Michael Gray, and others of San Francisco, were 
the fortunate purchasers. The last owner of this mine, Don 
Manuel Salida, took from it more than a milhon of dollars, 
and, at the time of his death, gave orders to blow the mine 
up, which was accordingly carried into efl:ect by his peons. 



57 

The writer visited the mine in company with Dr. Hill; but, 
on account of its dilapidated condition, could not explore it. 
At a depth of 70 feet is a chamber 20 feet in diameter and 
25 feet high, the walk of which, impregnated with virgui 
silver, glittered like diamonds by the hght of a solitary can- 
dle. In working the mines of this district, it is not unusual 
to discover spots of exceeding richness, called by Mexicans 
' bonanzas,' and from one of these, from two to three hun- 
dred thousand dollars are frequently extracted." 

Gold Mining Districts. 

The district of San Francisco is located seven leagues to 
the east of Ildefonso de la Cieneguilla, and was discovered 
Oct. 4th, 1803, by Teodoro Salazar, who was searching for 
a mine of which he had received notice. This mine proved 
extremely rich, the gold being scattered about on the sur- 
face in great abundance^ especially in the ravines. The 
ravine called San Miguelena was the richest spot, and the 
grains were coarse, being about the size of a beau. Large 
lumps were occasionally found, one of which weighed 100 
ounces, and another 28 marcs. In portions of this mineral 
region the gold was mixed with white quartz, which led to a 
ledge of very rich gold-bearing quartz. Here a mine was 
opened by Teodoro Salazar, and he occasionally struck ex- 
tensive pockets that were very rich. The mine was eventu- 
ally abandoned, and another found one league distant from 
San Francisco, not so rich as the former, but yielding very 
fine gold, of 22 and 23 carats fine. In the Sierra to the 
south, veins were found near the creek of San Bias, a small 
town near the northern border of Sinaloa. The water in the 
creek having failed, this mine was abandoned. The annual 
yield, on an average, of the mine of San Francisco, Velasco 
puts at from $4,000,000 to $5,000,000. Quitovac, San An- 
tonio, Sonoita, El Zone, La Basura, San Perfecto, Las Palo- 
mas. El Alamo, El Muerto, and Vado Seco, were the gold 
mines discovered from 1833 to 1844. Since that time, many 
other mines have been found, bearing both gold and silver. 
The great drawback to the mines of San Francisco, which 
are so rich in gold, is the scarcity of water, which has been 
brought from the river Arituava, 21 miles distant, and com- 
manded fabulous prices. If the waters of the river were 
conducted to the placers, or artesian wells sunk and reser- 
voirs formed, the mines would yield immensely. 

The district of Mulatos is located to the north-east of 



58 



Alamos, tiiid nearly due west of Jesus Maria iu Chihuahua, 
upon the slope of the Sierra Madre towards the gulf, and is 
called the Mineral of San Josd de Mulatos, which was dis- 
covered in 1806. Two gold mines were here found, from 
which were taken several thousand marcs of gold, 24 carats 
fine. The region is located near the eastern border of the 
state, iu the pass of Mulatos, about 70 leagues, or 210 miles, 
from Hermosillo. It is said that several millions were ex- 
tracted from these mines. The gold was first found in a 
small stream which descends to the river below. Adjoining 
this ravine and near the placers, three elevated crests were 
discovered, one of them over one hundred varas in height, 
which were intersected in all directions by small threads or 
veins of gold-bearing white earth, or rotten quartz, that were 
so rich that the ore of inferior quality was sold at f 12 and 
115 per arroba (25 pounds), while the rcihest sold for $200. 
These crests have been extensively worked. The gold is 
nearly pure, the lowest ore being 23 quilates, while it some- 
times reached 3i grains. A number of Indians at first work- 
ed the vein by being suspended by ropes from the side of 
the rocks from the crests above and* picking out the earth 
with wooden sticks and knives. The mines were abandoned 
some years ago, but have since been denounced by an Amer- 
ican company, who are working them so profitably, we un- 
derstand, that they have lately refused $1,000,000 for theija. 
The ores are reduced by an extensive stamp-mill, located on 
the Mulatos River, below the mine. This river has some- 
times been called the Aribechi and Papigochi. 

The district of San Xavier is distant from the port of 
Guaymas in a north-east direction, and about the same dis- 
tance from Hermosillo, approachable from both points by an 
excellent wagon road. This is one of the oldest and richest 
mineral districts of the state. There are many mines situ- 
ated within a radius of turee miles — namely, Los Bronces, 
owned by Don Alsua of Guaymas; Las Cruzecitas, Las Aguas, 
Senor, Las Cumbres, La Division, La ISTaguilla, La Barranca, 
Las Animas, La Sierra, and many others. Among the most 
important, Los Bronces may be mentioned, which is work- 
ed b}^ Don Matias Alsua of Guaymas, who has erect- 
ed extensive reduction works, with stamps, barrels, fur- 
naces, etc. His ores are worked by the German or Frey- 
burg process, and the mine has yielded about $1,000 per 
day. Kear this mine is located the La Barranca, in which a 
vein of coal was found nine feet in thickness. It is supposed 
to be anthracite, but this is denied hy some experts, wlio 



59 

claim it is more of the nature of ' bituminous coal. We ex- 
amined a piece of this same coal, and it appeared to us to be 
similar to the bituminous coal of Pennsylvania. 

About 200 yards above the Los Bronces mine is situated 
the Las Cruzecitas, which is owned by the Las Cruzecitas 
Minins^ Company. It has been extensively developed, and 
ten tons have been raised daily ; and when further devel- 
oped, will yield much greater quantities. The vein, which 
is particularly well defined, increases in width and richness 
as it descends ; and at a depth of 145 feet, the vein was nine 
feet wide. The ore of the pillars is very rich ; while that 
from the miuo averaged over 1150 per ton, all through. 
The " Petanque " has rich sulphurets of silver, which are 
extracted from the lower excavations, and assay over f 3,000 
per ton. The Company have erected reduction works at the 
mines. La JSTaguilla is situated on the highest hill in this 
region, in sight of the main road ; its ores were formerly 
abundant, and their "ley " in silver, ten marcs to the carga. 
It however filled with water, and although an attempt was 
made to work it out, it was abandoned upon reaching a 
" caballo." Las Animas is also one of the old mines, and ia 
now choked with earth ; the " ley ' ' of its ores was four or 
five marcs to four arrobas. Its vein was narrow, but con- 
tained an abundance of ferruginous ore, which, though re- 
jected by the miners in former times, yield three to four 
marcs of silver to the carga. The amalgamating ores are 
also abundant, and of about the same " ley.'' In Los Afur- 
nos, the vein is half a vara in breadth, and was profitably 
worked by Castillo. The mines of La Grande were equally 
rich with the others. The rest of the ores of San Xavier are 
smelting ores, or reducible by fire, with some exceptions. 
Enormous quantities of silver were remitted to the City of 
Mexico from tly.s district, and prove it to have been very 
rJeh. 

" The mine of Zubiate is situated eleven leagues (33 
uiiles) south-east of Hermosillo. It was discovered in the 
year 1813. Its first owners were not able to pay their ex- 
penses, and sold out to two persons called Monge and 
Murioz, who derived a handsome profit from a mine hitherto 
worthless. Muuoz, having acquired sufiicient wealth, sold 
his interest to Francisco Monteverde, who continued the op- 
eration, in company with Monge, until the death of the 
latter, who left a large fortune. Monteverde then became 
sole owner of the mine," and worked it up to the time of 
his death, leaving it to his sou, M. Monteverde, ex-Governor 



60 

of Sonora, who is now in this city. " Its average ley did not 
exceed five to six marcs to three cargas of 300 lbs. each, or 
about from $36 to $45 per tou; but occasionally ores are 
found which yield two to three marcs ($3.20 to each marc) 
per arroba of 25 lbs. each, or from $480 to $720 per ton. 
Water flows into it, and for some time the sole profits of the 
owner were derived from furnishing supplies to his work- 
men." Governor Monteverde informs us, that since the 
publication of Francisco Yelasco's work on Sonora, from 
which we quote the foregoing, that he has found the mine 
to become very profitable, and it now assays from $80 up to 
$1,000 per ton, having reached ores on a lower level that 
are very rich. This mine is for sale, and can be purchased 
of Governor Monteverde. He also informs us that $12,000,- 
000 have been extracted from the mine since its discovery, 
or in a little over 67 years. 

San Antonio de la Huerta. 

This district is located about 15 miles from San Xavier, 
and contains La Minas Prietas, Musidora, and other valuable 
mines, both of gold and silver. The Minas Prietas was 
purchased of Mr. R. 1). Johnson, of Guaymas, by the Jan- 
nin Bros., of this city, and sold to a company in New York. 
The point of location on the maps of this mine is erroneous, 
and should be at the point marked Haygame, about 35 miles 
south-east of Hermosillo. A new 40-stamp mill is being 
erected for this mine. There was an old 10-stamp mil] on 
it, which, with arastras, were used to reduce the ore. 

Cieneguita District. 

The following official report on the Mineral de la Ciene- 
guita, of Robert L. D'Aumaille, official assayer of Sonora, 
is copied from the valuable work of Mr. Mowry, " on Sonora 
and Arizona"; our object being to give all the information 
available on the mines of Sonora, and also within the limits 
of the states of Chihuahua, Durango, and Sinaloa. On the 
mines of this district, his report reads as follows : " About 
300 yards from the hacienda is the mine La Carjona, of 
trifling depth. The metal is plombiferous, vein one foot in 
width, and assays $16 to the 100 pounds. The water from 
the rivulet adjoining, has fllled the shaft, which is not deep. 
Two miles distant in same direction, lies the hill that con- 
tains the veins of La Chipiona, La Colorada, La Plomosa, 



61 

and another fallen in, whose very name has perished. The 
veins have been opened in many parts by the Spaniards, who 
content themselves almost invariably with sinking shafts for 
the extraction of the superior diecomposed ores, abandoning 
the mine on reaching sulphurets, from ignorance of the proc- 
ess for the extraction of silver. In these sulphurets, and 
below the old galleries are situated the present workings. 
La Colorada, on the north ^side of the spur, is a portion of the 
Veta Madre (or main vein.) The workings are dry and 
firm; the galleries 50 feet in length and 45 in width. An- 
other shaft, 22 feet, is opened 80 feet farther down the mount- 
ain, where the ores are uncovered to the same width. The 
vein in the lower places is about 18 feet in width, in parts 
30; running north and north-west, with an inclination to the 
south-east of about 15 degrees, an excellent course and dip 
in Mexican mines. The assay was $172 silver, per ton, and 
traces of gold. La Chipiona is also upon the Veta Madre; 
vein same direction and dip as La Colorada; shafts, two, 30 
feet apart; depth 30 feet, and partly full of water. The 
vein is 20 to 36 inches; same depth, and quality of metal 
uniform. The ores are more difficult of reduction, being 
bisulphurets of iron, with a compound sulphuret of silver, 
lead, iron, and copper; by the German process, assays 160 
ounces per ton. The ores of La Colorada by same proc- 
ess, gave 212 to 320 ounces. There is not half the 
superficial excavations of the ancient mines, which have 
been cleaned out from this vein, and the falling in of the 
labores. The vein can be traced 250 yards, across the crest 
of the hill, up to the mouth of the La Colorada. Above the 
main vein is a cross-vein of 4 to 6 inches, cutting it nearly 
at right angles. The ore is said to yield 318 ounces of silver 
per ton. Nine hundred feet distant, in a straight line, in a 
spur of the same cerro, is the adit of La Plomosa; the upper 
workings being badly planned, have fallen in from the pressure 
of rubbish in the old drifts, and the miners have driven a level 
in the solid rock 150 feet farther down. The ores are ar- 
gentiferous galenas, with a matrix of stratified ' calishe,' 
and are said to yield 18 per cent, of lead, and 96 ounces sil- 
ver, per ton, up to 190 ounces. Both this vein and La Chi- 
piona run across the valley and strike the opposite mountain. 
Old mining shafts are seen all the way across at different 
points. These mines can all be drained by a tunnel, as the 
Chipiona debouches upon an abrupt descent, by many hun- 
dred feet. The waUs are firm and vein regular, presenting 
every indication of permanence. A quarter of a mile south- 



62 

west of the Yerba Biiena, are the mines of Los Tajos. The 
hill-side is covered with the buried workings of the ancients, 
and the superior position of the vein is in a very precarious 
condition. The vein is something like one-half a yard in 
width, with a heterogeneous medley of ores. It runs com- 
pletely through the mountain, as very considerable works 
are visible on the opposite side; but whether 'en metales,' 
or not is unknown. 

" The ores are said to yield 60 ounces per ton, but they 
are loaded with titaniferous and zinciferous metals. La 
Descomulgada is situated about a league west of south-west 
of the Yerba Buena. Its matrix is a very hard, silicious 
rock, which crumbles with great rapidity when exposed to 
air and moisture. The vein is said to be wide, and the su- 
perficial ores easily worked, costing $1.00 per 300 lbs., and 
to be easy of reduction. 

" La Yerba Buena is a modern mine, said to have been 
very rich. The mouths have fallen in a few hundred yards 
from the Yerba Bueca, on the road to the Descomulgada. 
I^othing more is known concerning it. 

" Las Ostimuris, on the road to Yerba Buena, about half 
way from the Cieneguita, has two open mouths, and is full 
of water, the drifts running under the brook. Mr. Monge 
says it was abandoned on the outbreak of the Opatas, and as 
the shafts were shallow, the vein wide, and the ores yield- 
ing 450 oz. per ton, ho entered into a contract with a skill- 
ful miner and put up whims and machinery for drain- 
.age. His partner died just as they were approaching com- 
pletion; the Apaches drove off their animals; and, being ig- 
norant of mining, he abandoned the mine. 

" La Prieta is on the rancho of Matarchi, about six miles 
east of Cieneguita. The vein is from four to six feet wide. 
The opening is merely a trial pit. The ores of the outcrop 
are a melange of different sulphurets, heavily charged with 
copper. 

" El Potrero, 24 miles distant, is said to be an immeufce 
'clavo' of volcanic origin, and unknown extent, at the in- 
tersection of two veins. The ore is without alloy of silver, 
but contains much oxide of lead and spar. It forms an ex- 
cellent flux for the ores of La Prieta, and Los Tajos. The 
cost of carriage is the only expense. 

" La Viruela, east half a mile from the site of La Armar- 
gosa, is a lofty hill, from which large quantities of gold have 
been extracted, but the whole hill has fallen in. 

" La Armagosa, and the rivulet which runs beneath El Re- 



63 

alito, are coDstaDtly searched for gold. The water of the 
creek is not sufficiently abundant for machinery, and an ex- 
amination was made of La Armagosa, ond-quarter mile east, 
where a stream was found that is permanent and may be 
conducted by a tunnel. It furnishes a considerable volume 
of water, with a natural fall of 100 feet within a space of 
100 yards in its own valley. 

" Yerba Buena is three and a half miles south-east from the 
real, four and a half from La Chipiona, and four from Los 
Tajos. This district is located near Sahuaripa, about 50 
miles south-east. The river is the Arroyo de los Ostimuris, 
which is permanent ten months, and sufficient to turn the 
wheels during the remainder of the year. Wood is abund- 
ant, and consists of oak, pine, juniper and ash. Pasturage, 
everywhere. Animals are said to fatten all the year round. 
Salt can be purchased at from $8 to $10 per carga of 300 
lbs.; wheat, $6 perfanega. Freight from Guaymas,|80 to |90 
per ton; from Sahuaripa, $3 per carga. Cattle jire purchased 
from $10 to $15; hides, $1.00 each; mules and horses, dear; 
powder of the country, $7.00 per 25 lbs; flour, $7 per ar- 
roba." The ores are hard and require blasting, but, as seen 
before, are very rich. 

" The Ileal of the Cieneguita embraces the mines known as 
La Chipiona, La Colorada, La Cajona, La Prieta, and the 
vein of copper in Matarchi, La Descomulgada and Los Ta- 
jos, La Viruela, and El Realito, San Rafael, Ostimuris, Yer- 
ba Buena, and El Potrero. All of these mines are within a 
radius of three miles. 

'' The principal vein appears t(5 be that of La Chipiona. 
The origin of the real is unknown. The general belief is 
that it is the long-lost Real of Tayopa, famous in the early 
Spanish annals. The ores of the Chipiona, Colorada, and 
others, are refractory, being mostly hard ores and sulphurets. 
The titles to the mines, except those of El Potrero or La 
Prieta, and the copper vein in Matarchi, are on the ranchos 
of La Yglesia, a fine grazing estate of eighteen square miles 
in extent, belonging to and in the occupancy of Don Jose 
Yrenco Monge. The title is said to be perfect and undis- 
puted, a Spanish grant of Carlos III. It is wooded and 
watered, and contains sufficient arable land. The rancho of 
Matarchi, which bounds it on the westward, is a beautiful 
pine forest, with some excellent cultivated land, containing 
nine square miles, well watered, and is likewise a Spanish 
grant of the last century. It contains the veins of La Prieta 
and the outcrop of copper. 



64 

" The mines Los Tajos, La Descomulgacla, and El Realito, 
with four pertenencias, El Potrero, and La Viruella, are each 
the extent of La Chipiona's and La Colorada's possession, 
which was given by the Prefect of Sahuaripa on the 13th of 
September; is 1,800 feet in length; width, 600 feet on La 
Plomosa, and 1,350 feet in width, including all the present 
workings in the three mines. The sites called El Potrero, 
La Armagosa, La Cieneguita, and Yerba Buena, were de- 
nounced as " Haciendas de Benefico," or position for reduc- 
tion works. The Real of Cieneguita is situated in a pretty 
little dell, embosomed among lofty mountains, almost at the 
foot of the Sierra de San Ignacio, and partly embraced by 
the unbroken ranges of the great Sierra Madre. These 
mines are now worked by a 30-stamp mill, and are produc- 
ing immense profits. 

"It is distant, perhaps, by the road, 42 miles south-east of 
Sahuaripa, nine miles south-east of Tarachi, and 72 miles west 
of Mulatos. ^The real contains about 20 acres of cultivated 
ground, and is supplied by a spring and perpetual brook, 
which traverses its center. The climate is mild. In winter, 
the snow falls occasionally two feet, and ice forms two inches 
thick. The road leads from Sahuaripa through mountain 
passes. From Aribechi to the real it is all mountain, excej^t 
the plain of Las Cazadores, in the rancho Aoyua . Blanca, 
and the valley of the Rio de Ostimuris, from which the road 
runs from Santa F^ to Tarachi. A considerable portion of 
the real is covered by the foundations of houses and rains 
of smelting works, or immense piles of scorise and rubbish, 
proving incontestably to the practical eye the vast extent of 
the ancient mining operations." And another proof, we 
might add, of the former richness of these mines. We give 
this extended description, in order to show how an aban- 
doned mine looks to the traveler as well as the mining 
engineers, although these same mines have since been 
reopened and worked by a 30-stamp mill, as before stated. 

We are indebted to Mr. John A. Robinson, of this city, 
for the following : 

" Some fifteen miles north-east from the famous gold mine 
of Mulatos, lies a cluster of mines known as 'Mineral de la 
Cieneguita.' There are some fifteen mines in all ; the prin- 
cipal of them are the Chipiona, the Colorada, and the Plo- 
mosa ; the two first being very rich in silver and gold, and 
the last in lead and silver. The country surrounding offers 
every facility for mining and reduction works. An abund- 
ance of water, heavy forests of pine, hemlock, various species 



65 

of oak, juniper, etc. Building-stone and fire-clay in :he im- 
mediate vicinity, with pasturage for the animals. The 
mines are at present worked on a small scale by some Ger- 
man gentlemen ; but parties are now examining them with 
the view of establishing reduction works on an extensive 
scale by the lixiviation process. These mines are extreme- 
ly rich in ' ley,' and abundant in ores. Some sixty miles 
to the east of the above are situated those extremely rich 
copper mines called 'Huacarbo,' in the Barranca de Tarra- 
rique. Here also the facilities for working are great. The 
river Yaqui runs immediately at the foot of these im- 
mense lodes ; and the country is thickly covered by heavy 
timber. The Yaqui River, in places, runs over the copper- 
vein, leaving the ores in sight for a long distance. Both of 
the foregoing mining districts were fully explored by Robert 
L. D'Aumaille, a most famous mining expert, chemist and 
amalgamist, sent there by Don Juan A. Robinson, formerly 
United States Consul for Guaymas, Sonora, and at present 
residing in this city. D'Aumaille reports that the copper 
vein is intersected in different places, by narrow gold veins 
of a very rich 'ley.'" 

The district of Babicanora was discovered at the end of 
the last century, eight leagues south-east of Arispe and four 
from Sonoquipe, in the Sierra, running north and south. It 
was, at one time, very rich, and had a hacienda for the re- 
duction of ores below Sonoquipe, one mile from the bank of 
the creek. It was abandoned by its owners some years ago, 
until Mr. Hunter, an American, lately obtained possession 
of two of the mines. One is called Alendoza, which has a 
vein three feet wide, and assays $80 per ton in silver. The 
other is Santa Ana, and has a vein one vara in width, (33 
inches) with an assay similar to the other. Mr. Hunter has 
erected a ten-stamp mill, and is now working the mines 
profitably. 

The hacienda of Gov. Pesquiera, called Las Delicias, is 
situated about 20 miles south-west from Arispe, and con- 
sists of about 30,000 acres of good land, about one-fifth of 
which is first-class agricultural land, and being in the 
neighborhood or west of the Sonora River, the soil is some- 
what of the same nature, and produces wheat, corn and 
other cereals, as other lands on the Sonora River. The bal- 
ance is good grazing land. The Santa Elena mine is located 
about four and a half miles from the hacienda, on a ridge of 
mountains, and is owned by Gov. Pesquiera, who erected a 
ten-stamp mill at the hacienda. 
5 



66 



It is not in working order, and is fast going to pieces. 
The mine has been mostly worked by arastras, and pro- 
duced, in one year, $200,000, but has never been properly 
worked. The best ore assays $5 per ounce bullion, gold and 
silver. The shaft is about 200 feet in depth, with a varying 
vein, sometimes reaching 15 feet in width. The mine is dry, 
with walls of porphyry and quartzite. 

The Curcurpe district also contains many mines, among 
which may be mentioned the ancient mine of El Tajo, which 
is now full of water and in a ruinous condition, having been 
destroyed by the gambucinos. 

The Santa Teresa de Jesus mining district is located 69 
miles south of the boundary line of the United States, on the 
northern frontier of the State of Sonora, and 80 miles from 
Magdalena; the latter being only about 140 miles from 
Tucson. 

"We copy from a report of Mr. L. Jannin on the mines of 
this district, which has just been published, the following : 
" Leaving Cucurpe, and passing by the cultivated fields of 
its inhabitants, we find the road to the mines leading up the 
San Miguel River, sometimes emerging into an open plain. 
After following the course of this river some twelve miles, 
and passing El Pintor and the deserted Pueblo de Dolores, 
the road leads us over table-lands and meadows, the former 
adorned with oak and ash trees, the latter covered with 
waving grass, until we reach a broad belt of thickly wooded 
land, where the San Miguel first makes its appearance in 
the dry season. From this point the river always contains 
running water. In the rainy season it rushes violently 
along, sometimes overflowing its banks, but in the dry season 
it floats along tamely, scarcely covering its bed. All the land 
between Cucurpe and this point is of the richest descrip- 
tion. It is unsurpassed in fertility by any portion of Sonora, 
and grain of all kinds can be raised without the slightest 
trouble. 

In former times, the whole valley was populated, and the 
number of cultivated fields and the numerous herds of graz- 
ing cattle proclaimed the wealth of the inhabitants. But 
the continued incursions of the Apaches since 1832, by 
driving off" the unresisting inhabitants and gathering the 
harvests they had planted, have depopulated and ruined the 
country. Deserted ranches are met along the road. No 
one lives here. No one dares to plant grain, and, as it is 
here, so it is also throughout the northern part of the State. 
Leaving the belt of wooded land that I have mentioned, the 



67 



road still takes us over meadows and table lauds, up the 
valley of the San Miguel and toward its source, the Canon 
de Santa Teresa, a distance of 15 miles. Here, low ranges 
of hills, isolated peaks, and broken country, becoming more 
and more frequent, herald our approach to a mountain 
range, and soon we are in the caiion, with steep hills on 
each side. 

The range of mountains in the foot-hills, in which are 
the mines of Santa Teresa, is known by the name of Sierra 
Azu], and its culminating peak is the Cerro Azul, whicli 
towers high above all the range, forming a most prominent 
object for a distance of over forty miles. The general course 
of the range is north and south, but spurs of the Cerro ex- 
tend in all directions. The country is mountainous in the 
extreme. There are no table-lands, no valleys, and no open 
space of any extent, nor are the ranges of foot-hills contin- 
uous, but are broken up by side ravines and canons, down 
which, in rainy seasons, the water jB.nds its way to the vari- 
ous arroyos. These arroyos form the circuitous roads by 
which one point is reached from another. The position of 
the Mineral de Santa Teresa is correctly indicated by Col- 
onel de Eleury's late map of Sonora. From it can be seen 
the relative position of the Mineral to the neighboring 
pueblos, owing to the mountains around it. The only broad 
road leading to the mines is the one I have described. All 
others are, and can only be, foot-trails. The mines are 
upon three distinct veins, known as the Trinidad, San An- 
tonio, and the Santa Biviana. The openings on the Trini- 
dad and San Antonio are in the Real de Santa Teresa, while 
those on the Santa Biviana vein are in a neighboring real 
of the same name. 

The Real de Santa Teresa is approached by a canon of 
that name, and is situated some three miles from its outlet. 
The bed of this caiion is a dry arroyo, and its sides are 
formed by a range of foot-hills rising up several hundred 
feet, and inclined towards the bed at an angle varying from 
50 to 70 degrees. The arroyo varies in width from 50 to 
300 yards, and forms the only road to the mines. In the 
rainy season, the water flowing down from the various ra- 
vines and from the Salto, (the source of the San Miguel) 
fills the arroyo and renders freighting in wagons difficult, 
but does not impede transit by mules and pack-trains. At 
the time of my visit it was perfectly dry, and generally re- 
mains so during nine months of the year. 

The Caiion de Santa Teresa has a generally north-easterly 



68 

direction, altliough subject to many turns. In tlie neighbor- 
hood of the mines, its direction is as indicated, and the vein 
pursues a nearly parallel course. The mountain mass of 
this Mineral — in fact, the whole range — is a hard, dark-blae 
limestone, distinctly stratified, and dipping to the east at an 
angle of 50 degrees. Its strike is nearly north and south. 
The course of the veins is contrary to the stratification of 
the limestone, which forms its walls; and they have all the 
appearance of being true fissure veins. The walls are gen- 
erally firm and enduring. 

The Trinidad vein crops out at various places on the 
northerly slope of the canon. Its general direction is north- 
east by south-west ; but it changes its course with the slope 
of the hills, and at places it is heaved by faults and cross- 
veins. The outcroppings can be traced at various heights 
above the head of the canon, until it reaches the opening 
called El Arroyo. Here the vein leaves the northerly slope 
of the canon, crossing over the arroyo in a diagonal direc- 
tion, and finally emerges on the opposite slope, still preserv- 
ing the same general direction. The San Antonio vein, ou 
the other hand, is entirely on the southerly slope of the canon. 
Its general direction is north-east by north, but it also 
changes its course with the slopes of the hills. These two 
veins converge toward one another ; but although they have 
been followed for many aweary mile, their point of junction 
has not been discovered. The general appearance of the out- 
cropping is the same in the two veins, with some slight local 
difterences. It is a hard, compact quartz, sometimes thickly 
impregnated with peroxyd of manganese, and at others, 
merely colored by its presence. It is seldom found with a 
honey-comb structure. At places the veins outcrop boldly 
to the height of several feet, and at others, disappear be- 
neath the soil. The width of the vein does not remain con- 
stant ; but the general average may be put down at two-and- 
a-half to three feet. The San Antonio vein shows somewhat 
larger at the various openings than does the Trinidad ; but 
the ore in the latter is found more uniformly distributed. 
Wherever the veins outcrop, openings have been made. 
On the Trinidad vein there are six in number ; and on the 
San Antonio, there are seven. The different mines opened, 
are the El Loreto, that assayed, at a depth of 30 feet, f 70 
to $80 per ton ; vein small at surface, broadens out to 2i feet 
in the shaft; angle of inclination, 40 deg. north-west. La 
Cruz lies north-east of the Loreto ; depth of shaft, 30 feet ; 
assay, $70 to $90, in first opening ; second, depth 60 feet ; 



69 



vein 2 to 2^ feet thick ; dips about 45 deg.; assay, same as 
former. La Falda assayed $118 per ton. The Trinidad 
is the principal mine ; shaft 150 feet deep, with some of 
the pillars extracted ; some left standing, that would as- 
say over $80 per ton, while the ore in the lower gallery 
assays fl50. Water comes into the lower levels. The 
miners, in abandoning the property, have of course left no 
rich deposit in the mines ; but the evidences are that an 
abundance of rich ore must have been extracted. The Ar- 
royo mine was said to be very rich, and is 70 feet deep ; 
filled with water, but could be cleared for about $600. The 
San Francisco is 30 feet deep ; the ore sometimes occurs in 
large bunches and pockets (or " bonanzas") ; sometimes in 
small nodules, and sometimes disseminated throughout the 
mass in minute particles. The vein is never free from metal. 
The San Antonio vein has seven openings, viz., San Pedro, 
La Burra, Consolacion, San Antonio, Corazon de Maria, Santa 
Gertrudis, and Las Animas. Of the first three I can say but 
little in their present state, as they all need clearing out. 
The Consolacion is in a better state of preservation than the 
other two, and a fair average ore can be taken from it. The 
San Antonio enjoys a great reputation; but at present it is 
in a dilapidated condition. The mine is filled with rubbish. 
In the Corazon de Maria the miners left nothing rich in 
sight. Santa Gertrudis contains good ores, and will assay 
$200 to $500 per ton. The average value of all I saw at the 
mouth is $270 per ton. The others will average $80 per ton." 
Bj comparing the locations on the map of Col. Fleury on 
Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, and Durango, it will be ob- 
served that these mines, of which we have reproduced a con- 
densed description from Mr. Janniu's report, are located but 
a short distance, about forty miles, south-east of Santa Cruz, 
and in the neighborhood of the richest mineral and agricult- 
ural region of the state, outside of the rich lands of the 
Yaqui River. 

La Alameda is situated in thel^acameri district, 21 miles 
west of the pueblo of Il^acameri. This mine was discovered 
in 1835, and was once extensively worked. The mines of 
this district are all of silver, with a very good "ley," about 
$60 per ton. 

Batuco also possesses some mines. 

The Eio Chico district is in the south-western part of the 
state, 120 miles from Hermosillo, near the Yaqui River, is one 
of the most ancient mineral regions of Sonora, and in the 
last century produced great quantities of gold and silver. 



70 

Placers of gold were also discovered here. The gambuci- 
nos are still working some of the mines. El Aguaja is an 
old mineral region of the last century. Its principal mines 
are Guillamena, Ubarbol, and La Grande. These mines are 
mostly abandoned, though worked by gambuciuos. Suaque 
contains many mines of gold and silver, which are but little 
worked. La Trinidad is one of the oldest mineral regions 
of the State, situated at the base of the Sierra Madre, on a 
branch of the river Mayo. Its area is comprised almost en- 
tirely of mines, the principal ones of which are worked by 
Mr. Alsua of Guaymas, by a modern stamp-mill, who is tak- 
ing out in bullion, monthly, about $100,000. This district 
is reached by a road from Sahuaripa through Babicanora, 
south, on the Bapepito Eiver, a branch of the Yaqui ; thence 
to Conichi, Ouava, Rio Chico, ISTury ; thence north-east to 
Caraja, San Nicolas, Santa Rosa, and Trinidad. 

The district of Bacuachi is in the northern part of the 
State, as well as the copper mines of La Cananea. The gold 
found in this district is coarse, and pieces were found weigh- 
ing 25 marcs. In fact, the whole of this region is covered 
with veins of gold and silver, and are as yet undeveloped. 
We have called especial attention to this district in another 
place. 

Among >the old mines, we may mention the Cajon, six 
leagues from the San Francisco placers and twelve 
from Cieneguilla, and those of the hacienda of Santa Rosa, 
near Cajon, which yielded great quantities of silver from 
1798 to 1802. The average proportion of the ley of the 
best or picked ores was six, eight and twelve marcs to the 
arroba; of the poorer or second class, two to four marcs. 
There was a scarcity of ore in the Santa Rosa mines, on ac- 
count of the hardness and narrowness of the veins. In the 
mines of San Francisco, water is scarce to the extreme, and 
could not be obtained nearer than 21 miles, and sold in 
the dry season at $1 per barrel. The timber, also, in the vi- 
cinity, is unfit for building. 

These mines are very rich, but the expense is too great to 
work them profitably. The mines of Vado Seco, to the 
north of San Ignacio Pueblo, on the road to Tucson, are re- 
ported to be rich, as well as the famous placer of Sobia, 
on the main road to the city of Alamos, half way from Bar- 
royaca. 

The Cajon district contains a group of some three or four 
mines, and are all owned by a JSTew York company. The 
nephew of General Magruder is the superintendent, and 



71 

owns one-half interest in the mines. The mine contains gold 
and silver-bearing quartz, which assays, on an average, about 
|65 to $70 per ton. The deepest shaft is only down about 
125 feet. Rich spots are occasionally found in the vein, but 
after they get down a certain distance, the veins commence 
to pinch out. Some of the veins have entirely disappeared. 
The mine has, however, paid well, as they have taken out 
already enough ore to pay for the claim, mills and expenses, 
and have now on the dump, in sight, about $50,000 worth of 
ore. The mill has ten stamps, and is not quite completed, 
but will shortly commence to reduce the ore. 

The Las Cedras, belonging to Don Santo Terminal, is sit- 
uated in the district of Barroyaca, near the small town of 
Teropaco, 135 miles from Guaymas, in the direction, of 
Alamos, south-east. This is a very rich mine, and has been 
extensively worked. It is surrounded by rich, arable lauds, 
and a permanent stream of water flows in the vicinity of 
the mine. Negotiations are being made to purchase it. 

During the years 1863 and 1864, many new mines were 
opened, among which were Las Cruzecitas, Corral Viejo and 
El Refugio, the latter on the border of Chihuahua, and the 
mines of La Cananea. 

On the Cerro Prieto, between the ranchos de la Palma 
and La Casa Pintada, is an old mine, called Tarasca, almost 
forgotten. Tradition places it very rich, although it has not ^ 
been worked for over a century. In this same neighbor- 
hood are many old mines, and vestiges of buildings may yet 
be seen on their antiquated sites. 

In the district of San Jose de Gracias, a celebrated mine was ^ 
worked in 1809-1810, by Juan Jose Carumina,who expended 
all his capital in bailing out the water from the old shaft, and in 
two or three hours, after clearing it of water, he took out a lump 
of ore weighing 75 pounds, which yielded 112 ounces of pure 
silver. The water began to gain on him again, so that in 
his effort to keep it down, he broke his bailing apparatus, 
and laving contracted some debt,s, he could not return to 
his ..bor ; the mine refilled in six or seven hours, and he 
abai ! )ned the enterprise. A company afterwards under- 
took i^ clear the mine, but after expending a considerable 
sum, abandoned the mine on account of an accident to one 
of the workmen," says Velasco. This seems incredible; 
but for the fact that the mines are mostly worked by Yaqui 
Indians, who are very superstitious, and believe that devils 
inhabit the mines, says Ruxton, in his " Adventures in Mexi- 
co." The accident to one of their number would prevent 



72 

others from working in a haunted mine, or one inhabited by 
evil spirits, in their imagination. Velasco further says : 
" Some of the old inhabitants of San Jos^ de Gracia, in 
speaking of this mine, testify that the vein in many places 
was of virgin silver ; and that in others the ore yielded fifty 
per cent, of pure silver ; also, that there was a stratum of 
red earth that yielded great quantities of gold, they having 
frequently witnessed the extraction of two or three hundred 
marcs on one single occasion. The depth of this mine ex- 
ceeds one hundred varas. " Taking into account the unreli- 
ability of traditions, and the extravagance of some Mexi- 
cans, still there may be some truth in the tradition, as the 
famous mines of Batopilas, in Chihuahua, and others, have 
produced like results. If the mine is still in the condition 
that Carumina found it, a steam pump would soon reveal its 
hidden treasures. 

The mines of La Cananea, 80 years ago or more, were 
worked on a large scale with great energy, by the house of 
Guea, of Chihuahua. We understand that these mines, or 
the principal ones, are owned and worked by Gov. Pesquiera, 
of Sonora, and are now bonded by him to Eastern par- 
ties. Nevertheless, we give a description of the district 
from the pen of the celebrated chemist, Robert L. D'Au- 
maille, mining engineer and official assayer for the State of 
Sonora. 

General Pesquiera has worked five mines in this district, 
viz: El Ronquillo, La Chivatera, San Rafael, (or La 
Plomosa) La Terdilla, and La Cobre Grande. The report 
was written by M. D'Aumaille in 1860, and is as follows: 
" La Cananea is situated about 36 miles south-west of the 
Presidio of Santa Cruz, about 54 miles south-east of San 
Pedro, probably 35 miles southerly from Fort Buchanan, 
and not far from the American line. The mines worked are 
seven in number, of which thp principal are El Ronquillo, 
La Chivatera, San Rafael, Santo Domingo, La Minade Cobre 
Pobre, and La Mina de Plomo de Arvallo. Li addition to 
these mines are La Mariquilla, (of white copper) El Tajo, 
(the ancient mine), and others — jn fact, the whole region 
is strongly mineralized and of the most prepossessing ex- 
terior. The hacienda de Beneficio y Ferez y Arvallo is on 
the El Ritto, a permanent stream at the foot of the mount- 
ains, about a mile and a half from the mirjes. The greater 
portion of the road is excellent, and the i emai/ider can be 
readily made so. The hacienda is a mass of ruins, over- 
grown with rank vegetation. The machinery was destroyed 



73 

by natives carrying away the iron available. The situation 
is pleasant, on the border of a vast plain covered with wild 
mustangs or horses, and which stretches away to San Pedro, 
and contains much arable, with any quantity of grazing land, 
and lies immediately around the site. Half a mile or so up 
the valley brings us to the mine of El Ronquillo, called also 
from its refractory ores, La Maletiosa, with its ancient ha- 
cienda. This mine was the property of Arvallo, but the 
miners were driven ofi' by the Apaches. El Eonquillo has 
a thickness of from three and a half to four feet of very good 
ore, worked to a depth of 80 feet. It has several shafts full 
of water to the brim, which comes from copious springs in 
the lower workings, and a ravine which passes across the 
vein, and from its situation upon the gentle slope of a hill 
which gradually merges into the plain beneath, it cannot be 
drained by a tunnel, but recourse must be had to steam 
machinery. The ore of this mine assayed from ^30 to f 80 
per ton. Passing through the ravine, copper croppings are 
seen. One-quarter of a mile further, is located the mine of 
La Chivatera, situated on a steep declivity, admirably 
adapted to tunnel drainage, and is half full of water. It 
bears every external evidence of being a powerful vein, but 
we are told that it is really an irregular deposit. Three 
hundred yards higher up lies a great open cellar, for I can 
compare it to nothing else, with a small pile of refuse lying 
at one side. 

This is the mine of Tajo, of San Rafael. Judging from 
the small amount of earth visible, and the statement of the 
old administrador, it is nearly a solid mass of ore. You 
have ore on all sides in the level, so that it is impossible to 
tell where the vein is. This ore is ductile and most easily 
reducible. It flows like water in the furnace. The supply 
is apparently in exhaustible. Further up the glen is the 
Mina de Plomo de Arvallo, of the same character as San 
Rafael. The ores of these mines appear to consist princi- 
pally of oxide and sulphate of lead; although vast masses 
of galena are found, and are so soft that a single barretero 
can throw down many tons a day,, while the cost of extrac- 
tion is nothing. The shafts appear of trivial dimensions, yet 
they have been worked from time immemorial, and the 
litharge or jugos, from San Rafael, have supplied all north- 
ern Sonora with that necessary article ; and they have even 
formed an article of export to Jesus Maria, and other great 
mining districts of Central Chihuahua. The ore of the 
Cobre Pobre Mine in the vicinity is boundless in extent, but 



• 74 

of inferior quality. Near this point is also located the great 
' vein of La Mariquilla. We have been assured that it was in 
V the sierra of La Mariquilla, twelve miles to the north. This 
mine, from its alleged dimensions, and the richness of its 
ores, has great interest attached to it, as the cause of its 
abandonment was the fact of its producing white copper, 
something like the " paktong " of China, or the white cop- 
per of Heidelburghausen, the prototype of German silver. 
But the accounts of this mine are so obscure, conflicting and 
contradictory, that nothing can be made of it, bat actual 
discovery of the mine. Some have denied the existence of 
this mine or vein, and others claim to have smelted it, who 
pronounced it an alloy of copper and silver. 

El Tajo, the most ancient mine, is a huge rent in the 
earth like the Pamys mine in Iglesia, but the ores changed 
at the depth of 30 feet, suddenly, into pyrites. It is probable 
from analogy that these pyrites are argentiferous. Immense 
masses of black rock were abandoned by the ancient miners 
JL^ the walls, under the supposition, probably, that they 
were black slate, which were subsequently assayed and 
proved to be a semi-stratified silicate of the dinoxide of 
copper. 

Other mines of argentiferous galena, varying from 12 to 
320 ounces per ton, are alleged to exist near the Ojo cle 
Agua de Arvalla. Besides the oak, there are vast and most 
accessible forests of chamunque, a species of pitch pine of 
great strength and durability, excellently adapted for ma- 
chinery and building materials. 

The mines are accessible by a good wagon road via Santa 
Cruz from Fort Buchanan, Tubac, La Piedra Parade, and 
Guaymas, and are surrounded by the great depopulated ha- 
ciendas of San Bernardino, El Ojo de Agua de Arvalla, an- 
other Ojo de Agua, Cuitahaca, El Agua Escondida, Las 
Animas, and Banamichi. 

Another road, called a wagon road, but poorly deserving 
the name, passes by Eacuachi, Arispe, Ures, and Hermosillo, 
to Guaymas. Its position is romantic and delightful. Pas- 
tures exist green iu Bacuachi all the year round, and of the 
most nutritious quality. Cultivable land of considerable 
extent is found in the same hacienda, which is the natural 
feeder of the real. The mines ^themselves are said, by 
Felipe Perez, to be on public land, a narrow strip or sobrante 
between two ranchos. All the necessaries of a great estab- 
lishment — building material and fluxes — abound in excess. 
Building stone, granite, fine marble, tepustete, arenillas, 



75 

jugos and syndas are plentiful; and, during the search for ^ 
the lost mines of Las Lamas, Espiritu Santo, on the road to '^^ 
Banamichi, a vast deposit of most refractory furnace sand- 
stone was found, the first seen in Sonora. The water is 
good and the locality healthful, and in proximity to the 
American military stations of Fort Buchananand Arritoypa," 
and the Southern Pacific R. R., which passes within about 
150 miles of the district. 

" Ange Robert L. D. Amuaille, 
Ensayador Oficial de Estado de Sonora, 
29 de Mayo de 1860." 

La Basura is the first mining region discovered in the 
country of the Papajos, and is situated twenty-four miles 
north-west of Caborca. Its veins are numerous, especially 
those of gold ; but although they are of marvelous richness, 
this lasts but a short time, as the deposits extend but a short 
distance below the surface, San Perfecto was the second dis- 
covery made in the Papajo country. Quitovac was the 
third discovery, about seventy miles north-west from Ca- 
borca, and the same distance from the town of Guadalupe 
or Altar. The placers were first worked, they being verv 
abundant in gold, which lay in grains on the surface, as at 
San Francisco and Cieneguilla, Afterwards many mines 
were opened to the depth of ten or fifteen varas, (about 33 
inches to each vara) some of which yielded from four to 
eight ounces of gold to the bowl (or " batea "); others not 
more thiin a few cents. Occasionally pockets were found 
of large extent that yielded marvelously. Nuggets of large 
size were also found ; one weighed twenty-one marcs, (each 
marc weighing 4,608 grains). A large piece of gold-bearing 
quartz was extracted from a ledge, that was nearly all gold, 
and weighed over thirty marcs. San Antonio, another 
placer, about ten miles west of Quitovac, was discovered a 
few days after the latter, and was exceedingly rich at the 
surface. The discovery of these placers was owing to 
Father Faustiuo Gonzalez, who prevailed upon the Papajo 
Indians to reveal their locality, in 1835. Gonzalez made a 
large fortune, and he was soon surrounded by whites and 
Indians in great numbers. The placer continued rich for 
several years, and was worked until 1841, when the Papajos 
rose, and expelled the whites. 

After quiet was restored, a few persons returned to Qui- 
tovac and worked some mines discovered after the placers, 
in the neighborhood of an abundant spring, capable of sup- 
plying a population of 30,000 or 40,000 inhabitants. 



76 

In the Sonoica Valley, which is situated about 36 miles 
north of Quitovac, on the road to Lower California, the gold 
discovered was very fine and light. 

Alamo Muerto, about 48 miles west of Caborca, contains 
gold and silver mines and placers. It was discovered in 
the same year as Quitovac, and although its ores yield a fair 
proportion of silver, the scarcity of quicksilver prevented 
their being worked to any great extent. There were, how- 
ever, ten mines in operation at the time of the rising of the 
Papajos, all of which were abandoned. 

Las Palomas, six miles to the south of Alamo Muerto, 
were rich placers of gold, similar to those of Quitovaca. It 
was also abandoned for the same reason, and is now frequent- 
ed by a few gambucinos, (poor miners) who are satisfi.ed 
with enough to provide them with food. 

El Zone was discovered in 1844, and contains numerous 
gold mines, some of them quite rich at the surface. From 
one of them was taken a mass of quartz of 25 pounds 
weight, yielding 50 per cent, of pure gold. A mine is lo- 
cated here called Ris Suena; eight or ten shafts are down 
about 300 feet. Ores are shipped to Aribaca, about 120 miles 
on the road to Tucson; paj^s about $200 per ton. 

Cajitos is situated about 24 miles north-west from Caborca, 
and about 70 miles from port La Libertad, inland, north-east 
from the Gulf of California. The mines located here are 
in a low range of mountains or foot-hills. The mines were 
discovered shortly after the other mines in the vicinity, and 
have been worked in a superficial manner since 1842. In 
1868, the hostile Indians drove the miners ofi^, and the 
mines were abandoned until 1877, when small bodies of 
armed men returned and worked in the old drifts and inclines 
for a few weeks, then packed the ore on their mules, and 
slipped away quietly to Basura, about ten miles east, where 
reduction works were established. The richest spots were 
thus only mined until 1879, when the mines were again 
worked by the primitive arastra. The shafts are sunk on 
an incline following the course of the ore vein. Instead of 
using the windlass, the ore is packed on the backs of 
miners in raw-hide sacks, up ladders made by binding cleats 
of wood upon an upright j)ole, with raw-hide thongs. The 
ore is worked by an iron bar called "barreton," about six 
feet in length, which is used to throw it down, using it as a 
hand-drill and lever. One end is shaped like a drill, and the 
other is hammered flat and sharp like the larger end of a 
pick. The ore is broken into small pieces and thus trans- 



77 

ported to the surface, to the arastras. For shovels, the 
horns of cattle are steeped in water and flattened out, and 
attached to pieces of wood with raw-hide thongs. 

In this manner, these mines have been worked for the 
last 35 years, and about four millions have been extracted 
from the four mines in the vicinity. The present depth of 
the shafts is as follows : The Tajilos, 275 feet; Puerte- 
citos, from 90 to 100 feet; Galilea, 80 to 90 feet; Oro Blan- 
co, 180 feet; Santa Rosalia, 200 feet; with two levels and 
stations. 

" The gold has only been extracted, although a large per- 
centage of silver is found in the ore, which has been al- 
lowed to waste, owing to the lack of materials to save it. 
Mr. C. E. Hoffman, mining engineer of this city, although 
his residence is in San Jose, some months since was sent to 
Tucson to examine some mines in Arizona, and while there, 
met a Mexican, who showed him some of the ore from 
these mines, which, on being assayed, was found to be very 
rich. He accompanied the Mexican to the mines, was sat- 
isfied with their richness, and purchased the four mines, and 
thirteen others in the vicinity in the Juarez and Cajitos mining 
district, for himself and some gentlemen in this city, who 
subsequently organized the Caborca Mining Co. He re- 
turned again last April, and has been superintending their 
development, building reservoirs, and preparing a site for a 
20-stamp mill. The water is abundant in the vicinity, 
which is caught in reservoirs, and the one now constructed 
has sufficient water to supply a 20-stamp mill for eighteen 
mouths. 

" In this district the rancheros irrigate their lands by reser- 
voirs; though grain, if sown in season, and grass, thrive 
very well without. Mr. Hoffman has in his employ about 
sixty Yaquis. These Indians perform almost all the labor 
of Sonora, and are employed at from 50 cents to »f 1 per day. 
The ores of these mines assayed on an average $80 per ton. 
The ores of the Oro Blanco mine in this group, assayed as 
high as $224.94 — about two-thirds being silver. The Santa 
Rosalia, about four miles from the Oro Blanco, west, went 
about $151; and the Alberca, $85,75, gold and silver, of 
about equal proportions. Thus we see the whole of this 
region surrounding Caborca is one of the richest in the state, 
and may be worked with enormous results. The price of 
transportation will not exceed $25 per ton to Port la Liber- 
tad, and may there be shipped to San Francisco for $8 per 
ton additional ; although Mr. Hoffman proposes to work the 



78 

ore bj^ a 20-stamp mill, until the mines are further devel- 
oped; then add to their capacity 40 stamps more. Hay can 
be purchased at the mines at $16 per ton, and wood at|2.50 
and $3.00 per cord. The hill-sides in the vicinity are 
thickly covered with a heavy growth of iron-wood, mesquite, 
and palo-verde. The location is such that the mines can be 
profitably worked, and yield rich returns to the owners. 
The Santa Felicita mine, twenty miles east of the Cajitos 
Mining Camp, is owned by Mr. Davis of Chicago, who has 
erected a 20-stamp mill, and is working in free gold ore. The 
Cajon mine, twenty miles south-west, is worked by a 10- 
stamp mill." (From report of Mr. C. E. Hoffman.) 

We are indebted to Mr. Benjamin Rountree for the fol- 
lowing: 

" The principal mine of the mining district of La Bar- 
ranca, in the jurisdiction of San Javier, is the Tarumari, a 
silver mine, which is owned by the Barranca Mill and Mining 
Company, of Guaymas. The owners are, N. Graff, F. R. 
Rountree, F. Ench, and Arturo Culicuro. This mine has 
reached a depth of 300 feet, and has produced bullion to the 
amount of $1,500,000. The width of the vein is from two 
and a half to four feet. The average assay has been, for all 
the working ores, about $100 per ton. The lowest workings 
are upon richer ore, reaching $160 per ton, with a vein at 
the lowest workings, 18 inches. The ore contains about five 
per cent, gold in bullion. A 20-stamp mill, concentrator, 
etc., are located at the mines. The ores are worked by the 
lixiviate process, or roasting, and then passed through a wet 
crusher. The ores are rebellious, and, consequently, have to 
be roasted before treating. This mine is located about 120 
miles north-east from Guaymas, and about 100 east from 
Hermosillo, 10 from LosBronces, 8 from San Javier." The 
same company owns the extensive coal beds hereafter men- 
tioned, which are located 1,500 feet from this mine. 

The region or mining district of Bolas de la Plata is sup- 
posed to be located in the northern part of Sonora, near the 
boundary line of Arizona. Its importance is chiefly derived 
from traditions of virgin silver having been found " at the 
place called Arizona, on a mountain ridge about half a 
league in extent. The discovery was made by a Yaqui In- 
dian, who revealed it to a trader, and the latter made it 
public. At a depth of a few varas, masses of pure silver 
were found, of a globular form, and of one and two arrobas in 
weight. Several pieces were taken out weighing upwards 
of 20 arrobas, or 500 pounds ; and one found by a person 



79 



from Guadalajara weiglaed 140 arrobas, or 3,500 pounds," 
all of which has been quoted and given as a probable fact 
in many works, and is found referred to as a tradition in 
many Spanish and English works, and even quoted as a fact; 
since in the same year of the discovery, 1769, the Presidio 
of Altar seized upon large masses of silver in the possession 
of certain persons as the property of the crown, which was 
denied by the parties interested, and the matter taken into 
the audience chamber of Guadalajara, and from thence was 
referred to the court of Madrid. Seven years having 
elapsed, the crown decided that the silver pertained to the 
royal patrimony. The facts and all the data, in our opinion, 
can amount to no more, than that certain rumors were in ex- 
istence, in relation to the products of one of the rich mines 
of Sonora, which had been seized by an officer of the crown: 
and had been found in a melted state in the mountains, at 
some mythical spot. The fact that the silver was in the 
shape of balls indicates that they were simply the ordinary 
products of one of the rich mines, and had been melted into 
the balls before mentioned, from the fact that formerly the 
silver in Mexico was thus melted, instead of into bars or 
bricks, as at present. 

The following is copied from the Appendix of " "Ward 
on Mexico," which contains a complete report of the dis- 
trict of Babiacora : 

" In the neighborhood of Babiacora there are many silver 
mines, the most of which contain a greater or less propor- 
tion of gold. The principal are Dolores and San Antonio 
to the south- we>t of the town; Cerro Gordo, to the south- 
east, and Cobriza, on the Cerro de San Felipe, in the valley 
above Babiacora. 

"The Cerro Gordo mine is situated four leagues south- 
east of Babiacora, on a very high hill, and appears to have 
been of considerable interest, from the great quantities of 
refuse ores thrown out on its sides. The quantity of water 
contained in it cannot be ascertained, as there is not any 
perpendicular shaft. From the steepness of the hill, a tun- 
nel might be driven far below the bottom of the works, from 
a fin i plain. The vein is about one-half yard in width. 
Some of the rejected ores produce from 12 to 30 marcs per 
'mouton/ (often cargas, or 3,000 lbs.) 

"The mine of Cobriza de San Felipe, eight leagues north 
of Babiacora, and three from the town of Ituapaca, with the 
haciendas and rauchos of San Felipe, Agua Caliente, and 
Los Chinos, in its neighborhood, is said to have been aban- 



80 

doued when producing pure silver, which the miners cut out 
in small pieces by means of large shears and chisels. The 
Apaches drove the miners away, and, during their absence, 
the shafts became filled with water, and a large rock 
fellinto the mouth, blocking it completely up." This was 
in 1827. 

The mine of Tacapuchi is three leagues from Babiacora 
south-east. The ores produce 14 marcs per monton, or 
about $44.80 per 3,000 lbs. 

Dolores, one league from Babiacora, produces silver in 
the same proportion, with a mixture of gold. These mines 
are all advantageously situated, with wood and water in 
abundance adjacent, and are distant about 70 leagues from 
^ Guaymas. 
l"^ About eight leagues from Oposura north-west, are the 
old and celebrated mines of San Juan Bautista. The 
Mineral of San Juan is a mountain of itself, encircled by 
others to the north-west and south of considerably greater 
elevation. It is 3,000 yards in length from east to west, 
and 1,500 wide at the broadest point, and is entirely sur- 
rounded by a ravine which opens into a large plain. The 
mountain or hill is 600 feet high, at the summit of which 
the principal vein, called Santa Ana, crosses from north to 
soLith. This is crossed by another vein on the northern 
slope of the mountain, and is called El Eosario. These 
mines have produced enormously, but now contain much 
water. 

Twelve other distinct veins are found, with small threads 
of virgin silver permeating the centre. The azogues, (ores 
that contain quicksilver) which are very abundant, are un- 
touched, though they produce from 24 to 96 ounces of pure 
silver to the carga of 300 lbs. or from $140 to $650 per ton. 
The ores, by smelting, have yielded 50 per cent, of pure 
silver. 

Tradition says that when they were compelled to abandon 
Santa Ana from water coming in, they left ofi'in a vein of 
pure silver one-third of a yard wide. 

The twelve veins vary from one yard to six in breadth. 
The depth to which they were worked is as follows: Santa 
Ana, 140 varas; Rosario, 60; Oata de la Agua, 5; Guada- 
lupe, 4; Gazapa, 20; Texedora, 20; Santa Catarina, 20; 
Arpa, 12; Prieta, 12; Bellotita, Coronilla, 12; Fontane, 10. 
Half a league further to the north of Santa Ana is the mine 
of Descubridora, with a vein of azogues, (heavily charged 
with quicksilver) 15 varas wide; depth of mine, 30 feet; 



81 

assay, 96 ounces to the carga of 300 lbs, or about $650 per 
ton, reduced by the amalgamating^ process. 

One league to the westward is the mine called Bronzosa, 
or Los Bronces, with an immense vein, which may be traced 
one mile on the surface. It has been considerably worked, 
but has water in it. Two leagues further west is the mine 
called Cobriza, a new mine 20 varasdeep. The two last have 
a good reputation. 

The mining district of ISTacosari is located 16 leagues from 
Oposura, and 14 eastward from Arispe. The entrance from 
the plain of Nacosari is up a narrow glen two leagues in 
length, through which flows a tolerable stream of water, 
which is lost in the sand. 

About one mile from the entrance, during the rainy sea- 
son, it reaches to Ojo de la Agua, the source of the Opo- 
sura River. Just before you arrive at Nacosari, the glen ex- 
pands into a beautiful vale, planted over with a variety of 
ornamental shrubs, fig trees, pomegranates, peaches, and 
other fruits and plants, which were once arranged with 
order and taste, but now form a confused thicket. The re- 
mains of numerous canals are visible, through which water 
was conveyed to every part of the vale. This spot was once 
a residence of Jesuits. The remains of their dwellings and 
an old church at the upper end of the valley are yet to be 
seen. The surroundings are picturesque. The mountains 
on each side rise almost perpendicularly, and are intersected 
with strata of a great variety of colors. Some of them pre- 
sent a mixture of bright red, yellow, green, and other varied 
tints. 

There are many excavations in the mountains, and the 
principal mine is called San Pedro de l^acosari. This mine 
is a phenomenon. The vein runs east and west, and is laid 
open from the surface for more than 1,000 varas, to the 
depth of 70 varas. The breadth of the aperture is about 
two yards; but on each side are immense quantities of rub- 
bish thrown out. Much dirt and sand have washed in and 
covered the vein; but general report says that the mine has 
no water in the interior, and that the ores were so rich that 
the best yielded from 25 to 30 marcs of silver to the arroba 
(of 25 lbs.). /„.. - 

The mines of Churunibabi, PiiSal, Huacal, Aguaje, and 
many others, are situated to the north and north-east of 'Na- 
cosari, at no great distance from San Juan del Rio, built 
upon a stream which falls into the Yaqui. These minerals 
are equally rich with those already described, Pinal con- 
6 



tains a greater proportion of gold tlian silver. It is recorded 
in the archives of Arispe, that the former owner, a lady bj 
name, loaned quite a sum to the government. Churunibabi 
is a very old mine, worked in the same way as the San Pe- 
dro, as, indeed, are all the mines in this part of the country. 
The direction of the vein is east and west, width two varas. 
The last persons who undertook to work this mine, were 
named Escalante, Vasquez, and CouHa. They cleared away 
the rubbish at one end until they found a pillar left to sup- 
port some of the old workings, from which they took ores 
that produced (170,000, and yielded 70 marcs of silver per 
carga of 300 lbs. The mine is laid open from the surface 
400 yards in depth. Tradition says that the first discoverers 
found the vein of virgin silver one-half vara wide, (or about 
16 inches) and that it was abandoned, on account of the 
Apaches, when the vein was two varas or 66 inches wide, 
(5^ feet) and the ores assaying 70 marcs per carga, or about 
$1,500 -per ton. The richness of these ores appears almost 
incredible; but when we consider the great quantities of 
bars of silver the mines of Sonora, without the aid of quick- 
silver, have produced, the metals must have been very rich 
and abundant. Ten leagues to the west and south-west of 
Kacosari, and six to the north of San Juan, are the mines of 
Tonbarachi and San Pedro Virguilha, with ores of from six 
to eight marcs per carga. To the west of Arispe are the 
mines of Santa Teresa, of gold and silver completely virgin, 
and the Cerro or Mountain of San Pedro, which contains 
innumerable mines and veins untouched. In all the districts 
above described, the roads are only passable from the public 
roads for horses and mules. The country being very mount- 
ainous, but not of very great elevation, none of these mines 
are more than six or seven leagues from rapid streams of 
water, sufficiently considerable to work almost any machin- 
ery. The mines of Aigame, or Haygame, near Horcositas, 
are famous for the abundance and richness of their gold- 
bearing ores. Those of Lam Pozas and Palos Blancos, five 
leagues west of Tepachi, are likewise good mines, with con- 
siderable veins carrying rich ores." 

On the Mining Districts of La. Carita, La Iglesia, La 
Chipiona, La Amargosa and Los Mulatos. 

All these districts comprise another seven hundred square 
miles of a very mountainous country, situated around the 
the head waters of the Eio de Q-uisamopa and those 



83 

of the creek of Agna Verde, another tributary of the Sa- 
hiiaripa river; as well as on the Kio de Mulatos, which is 
the most southern branch of the head waters of the Eio 
Yaqui, but already a powerful stream, where it rushes past 
the mining town of Mulatos. Some of these mountain ranges 
reach heights of 6000 and 7000 feet above the level of the 
sea. The whole seven hundred square miles are covered with 
most magnificent forest of pine, oak and a great variety ot 
other trees. Water is in this extensive region by far more 
abundant than on the western slope of the Sierra Madre, 
Every now and then one meets a fine stream of crystal water, 
leaping from rock to rock, as if anxious to become of some 
use before leaving its birthplace. Grass is also more abund- 
ant and much sweeter than in the west, and provisions are 
full as near as to Trinidad and Guadalupe. But Guaymas 
is, by fifteen leagues, farther off from these latter districts. 
As in respects to the proposed Pacific Railroad, the seven 
hundred miles I here speak of are much easier reached than 
the seven hundred miles on the western slope of the Sierra, 
since said railroad would run close along the southern line 
thereof. The veins found in these districts are even more nu- 
merous than those in the more western ones; also more regu- 
lar and extensive. But the ores, as taken on an average, are 
less rich and of a more complicated nature in respect to their 
metallurgical treatment. This is the principal reason why 
Jess mining has been carried O'U here than in the western 
districts. But the mines I am going to describe are, there- 
fore, of less importance, since they seem to make up in 
quantity what they fall short in quality, at least as far as veins 
are concerned. The district of "La Carita," the most west- 
ern of the group, is situated on the eastern side of the Sierra 
de Sanlgnacio, which is in that section of the Sierra Madre, 
the northern termini of its most western ridge. The princi- 
pal part of this district is a bulky mountain, about five miles 
long and 5000 feet high. Its cap of porphyry is more than 
1000 feet thick, but does not prevent the green stone por- 
phyry, with its intermixture of iron pyrites as the precursor 
of the ores, from cropping out in a great number of gulches 
and ravines, from most of which the interior of the mountain 
could easily and cheaply be reached. AYith half a dozen of 
tunnels, hundreds of thousands of tons of valuable ores would 
become accessible, and make this mountain one of the most 
famous of the Sierra Madre. That it is an ore-bearing 
mountain is, in addition to what I have already said about it, 
proved by the astonishing number of veins cropping out in 



84 

the cap of porphyry. Only a few of them have been worked, 
since their existence was but recently discovered. The ore 
on the surface of these veins is greatly deconciposed, and is, 
therefore, very soft. It enters freely into the Mexican amal- 
gamation process. But after a certain depth has been 
reached, from twenty to forty yards, the sulphuret of the 
ore makes its appearance. This, without being roasted, does 
not enter into the amalgamation. All the worked veins have 
on this account been abandoned, although the ores had be- 
come more abundant than they had been near the surface. 
The chemical character or compounds of the ore of the La 
Carita district I could not determine without putting it to an 
analytical test. In appearance it differs from all other ores 
in the Sierra Madre. In many of the mines of La Carita gold 
is found on the surface, and in quantities large enough to be 
worked for. Being the nearest mining district to the Rio de 
Sahuaripa, La Carita has all the mining facilities on hand, 
that is, as far as the country produces them. The small min- 
ing village of the same name is situated at the foot of the 
mountain, and close to the little streamlet which comes out 
of it. In the east the district of La Carita is joined by that 
of La Iglesia. About a century ago La Iglesia was a largo 
mining village, but at the present it is but a small rancho, 
with but half a dozen families. As a mining district. La Ig- 
lesia calls the attention of the geologist as well as the miner. 
Its most important geological, or rather mineralogical, feature 
is, that wherever a vein has been worked, the ores on the 
surface were rich in silver, but soon changed into the metals, 
pyrites, with the extraction of which the Mexican miner never 
troubles himself. The succession of the ore strata is here, as 
far as it has been tried, the same as in Dios Padre, in Trinidad. 
Pure galena comes first, then galena and zinc blende, after 
this galena, zinc blende, and small pockets of gray silver ore. 
Kow, judging Uy what follows this in Dios Padre, I have a 
right to infer that the same ore will follow here too, viz.: a 
rich gray silver ore, with perhaps a little zinc blende and 
galena. And if this really is the case, as I do believe it is, 
then immense quantities of pure and rich gray silver ore 
could be extracted from innumerable veins of the Iglesia dis- 
trict. In the whole district there is not a mountain over 
1000 feet high, above the level of the Agua Verde Creek, 
which divides it into two equal parts. This creek is a pow- 
erful stream, with a good deal of fall, and therefore very well 
adapted to the driving of machinery and for other purposes. 
On its banks and on the hills near to it thousands of acres ot 



85 

land could be cultivated. They are now covered with an 
abundance of grass or a magnificent forest. 

La Igelsia, as a whole, is one of the cosiest spots of the 
Sierra Madre, and a place on which at some future day a great 
mining town must spring up. The scenery all around the 
district is grand, sublime; one mountain rises higher than 
the other, and all trying to outshine one another with their 
dense and splendid forests of pine, oak, etc. The whole dis- 
trict of La Igelsia belongs to the same (Ji'e-bearing formation 
as Trinidad and Guadaloupe. One vein or mine of it I have 
to describe in particular; it is that of " El Tajo." It is situ- 
ated on an elongated hill, above two hundred feet above the 
level of the Arroyo del Agua Verde, and but half a mile from 
its banks. The vein is an extensive one, was from two to 
three feet wide on the surface, bat left in six feet at a depth 
of one hundred and twenty feet, in which, the mine was 
abandoned some twenty-five years ago. Its history was, 
therefore, easily to be traced, and the condition in which it 
it was left ascertained. On and near the surface of the vein 
large quantities of galena were found, after which, little by 
little, zinc blende made its appearance, until at the depth of 
one hundred and twenty feet, nothing but zinc blende, with 
now and then a small pocket of gray silver ore was found. 
The vein, ^s stated,, was six feet wide, and consisted of pure 
ore. Granted, now, that little by little the zinc blende will 
disappear, again to be replaced by rich gray silver ore. What, 
if such an event takes place, will be the value of this mine? 
Millions could be extracted from it every year, and incred- 
ble as this may sound, it is nevertheless probable that such 
should and would be the result if my theory stands good, 
which it will, since it is not a mere abstract theory, but one 
founded on a great number of established facts. The future 
development of the mine will show whether I am in the right 
or not. The rock of which the hill is composed is a rather 
soft one, and a shaft alongside the old works of two hundred 
feet would go a great way in telling what is to come after 
the zinc blende. The sinking of such a shaft would not cost 
over $1000. 

The mine of Yerba Buena lies opposite that of El Tajo, 
and on the other side of the Arroyo del Agua Verde. From 
the surface of its veins rich silver ores were extracted. The 
saying is that it was abandoned on account of a large stream 
of water having been struck, but I rather incline to the be- 
lief that the appearance of zinc blende was the principal 
cause thereof. 



86 

A number of other veins have been superficially worked, 
but their history is more or less the same as that of El Tajo 
mine. All the mining facilities are here plentiful, and even 
the agricultural products could be raised alongside of the 
mines. I come now to one of the largest, most interesting, 
and most important mining districts in the Sierra Madre; I 
mean that of " La Ohipiona." Unlike La Iglesia, it is formed 
by groups of mountains, from 4000 to 6000 feet above the 
level of the sea, but, through its peculiar topography, never- 
theless accessible from all sides, Nay, the very height of 
the mountains and their size will contribute toward their de- 
velopment, in a mining sense of the word. In this district, 
as a rule, all the mountains are covered or capped by a thick 
stratum of porphyry. But in all the innumerable gulches 
and ravines, the green stone porphyry, with its never-failing 
iron pyrites, stands out in immense masses, and in one spot 
over twenty five acres of the very gray silver ore can be 
traced in a thousand small veins, running through the rock 
in every direction. The veins cropping out through the sur- 
face of the " caps" cannot be numbered, and are at the same 
time the most extensive ores in the Sierra Madre. The dis- 
trict of La Chipionajoinsthatof La Iglesia. It belongs, like 
this, to the ore-bearing formation, and even more so, as the 
description of some of its mines will show. If I say that 
more than a hundred mines have been worked here I do not 
say too much, since within six months, while 1 was residing 
in La Cienegita (the most inhabited part of the Chipiona 
mines), I could not visit half of them. Some of the veins I 
I traced for five or six miles, without coming to their ter- 
minal in any direction. They all run from north to south^ or 
near to it, and their thickness lies between two and ten feet, 
but it increases as they go down, and, I believe, that in a 
depth of five hundred feet it will vary between ten and fifty 
feet. The ores of all these veins are, with the exception of a 
few, the same : a poor, gray silver ore, rich gray copper ore, 
intermixed with iron pyrities, and in some instances also with 
copper pyrites. To a depth of from twenty to fifty feet these 
ores were decomposed — changed into a kind of red or yellow 
ocre. They freely entered into the smelting as well as into 
the amalgamation process; but below that depth the sulphu- 
rets made their appearance. They are, without being well 
reverberated, untreatable, and consequently of no use. But 
I doubt very much whether this will be the process by which 
these ores can be treated to advantage, since lead is scarce 
and expensive, not only all through the Sierra Madre, but 



87 

also over the whole of northern Mexico. The appearance of 
these sulphurets there was the cause why all these mines 
were abandoned again soon after they had been taken up. 

I shall describe some of the most important ores as a mere 
sample of the nature and importance of the Chipiona district. 
As some of the most interesting ores, I have to point out a 
number of veins of the same nature as that of El Tajo mine, 
in the Iglesia distriet. The principal one is La Mina Grande, 
called 80 from a vein on which it was founded. On the sur- 
face it contained large masses of galena, which, little by lit- 
tle, changed into zinc blende. When it was abandoned, the 
vein was from six to eight feet wide. All I have said of the 
El Tajo mine, in respect of what it might become, may also 
be applied to this mine, and perhaps more so, since its veins 
are not only wider, but also more favorably situated as to 
working to advantage, running along the side of a high 
mountain, so as to be opened by the driving of a tunnel. 
'Next to the Mina Grande comes that of Ostemuri, an exten- 
sive vein, in which a great deal of work has been carried on. 
Here, too, zinc blende was the cause of the abandonment. 
Provided that in either of these three mines, those of Bl 
Tajo, La Grande or Ostemuri, the sinking of a shaft or the 
driving of a tunnel would prove that I am correct in respect 
to the ores found below the zinc blende, what would these 
three mines be worth, and what dividends could a company 
in possession thereof pay ? Millions would stand arrayed 
against the small risk of 15,000. ISTo further working capital 
would be required, as each mine, from the day of finding the 
rich ore, would become at once not only self supporting, but 
surplus producing. These three mines are so near one 
another, the greatest distance being but four leagues, that 
their works could be easily directed trom the some point. 

I come now to a description of a mountain peculiarly situ- 
ated, of a peculiar shape, and peculiarly interesting. It is 
that of Cerra Colorado, or La Chipiona proper. I might call 
it a mountain peninsula, since on three sides it is separated 
from surrounding mountains by deep gulches. On the south 
side it is connected therewith by a low isthmus or small 
plateau. From that isthmus it increases in height until its 
summit is 1,500 feet above the level of the Arroyo de las Bron- 
zas washing past its base. The cap of this isolated mountain 
is about three hundred feet thick, perhaps less. A very ex- 
tensive vein (the principal one) crops out on its summit, 
and, following the ridge, loses itself in the isthmus, to reap- 
pear on the mountain coming down from the isthmus. Over 



this second mountain I have followed it for some three miles, 
without finding its termini. In this vein a considerable 
amount of work has been carried on, and in some places to no 
inconsiderable depth. All the ores extracted from it were 
decomposed ores (originally gray silver ores and iron pyrites). 
In all parts of the vein the working of it was given up as soon 
as the sulphurets were reached. Besides this, a hundred 
mines of the same nature were worked, and for the same 
cause abandoned. 

Seven years ago, when I was for the last time in the 
Ohipiona district, but one mine was miserably worked. I 
now come to the part of the mountain above described, to 
to which I would call the special attention of the geologist 
and miner. It is this: the immense base of it — the circum- 
ferance, which comprises six to eight miles. Around all this 
base greenstone, porphyry with iron pyrites, stand out and on 
one side, the eastern, a thousand small veins of gray silver 
ore run in every direction through the rock, through the 
same kind of rock and in the same way as in the Dios Padre 
mine of La Trinidad. Besides this, the exterior of both 
mountains (not in shape) of La Chipiona and La Trinidad is 
the same. Why, then, should we not infer from all this that 
the exterior of the mountain bears the same relation to its 
interior as the exterior of the Dios Padre mine to its interior? 

Geology would cease to be a science, and would be of no 
use if such inferences, based on so many facts, could not be 
drawn or would not be accepted. I have so far described four 
mountains, the heads or interior of which must be considered 
as bearing ore, and of a similar nature as that of the Dios 
Padre mine. They all four belong to the same formation, 
the same period of geological creation, and have the same 
rocks, ores and appearances in common. The most northern 
of these four mountains is that of La Chipiona; eight leagues 
from it lies that of La Huerta de Yulapa; four leagues from 
this that of Dios Padre, and seven leagues from that, the 
mountain of Guadaloupe Sierra de la Hierra, some eighteen 
leagues from one extreme to the other. Founded on these 
facts, since facts they may be considered, I ask the question, 
of what are the hearts or interiors of all the mountains lying 
between and around the four mountains mentioned and de- 
scribed composed? I boldly answer, of ore, some in a less 
and some in a higher degree; some with but verj'' little of 
it, and some with a great deal; some with ore of a poor and 
others of a richer nature. The calculation of the sum total 
of the riches ihey may contain I leave to some mathema- 



89 

tician who delights in such calculatious, as some Americans 
do in calculating the population the United States will have 
in 6000 years from now. 

All the mountains of which the district of La Chipiona is 
composed, comprising some two hundred and fifty square 
miles, are covered with the finest forests in the Sierra 
Madre. 

Oak and pine abound everywhere, from the depth of the 
gulch to the highest peak of tlie mountains. Grass is no 
less abundant, since the whole two hundred and fifty miles 
form an almost continuous meadow. 

Of water, the only stream of any consequence is the Arroyo 
de las Bronzas, a tributary of the Arroyo de I'Agoa Verde. 
In the dry season it almost dries up, but there are a thou- 
sand places where artificial water reservoirs could be con- 
structed, and filled to the brim in the rainy season, when 
water falls most abundantly. The projected Pacific Rail- 
road touches this district as well as La Iglesia and La 
Carita. 

Agricultural products for the maintenance of a large pop- 
ulation could be raided in the low lands of Sonora, and within 
the mining districts, where good soil abounds. 

The distance to Guayamas is seventy leagues. The Indian 
village of Taharachi lies inside the Chipiona district. In the 
east of the Chipiona district lies the district of La Cieiiegita 
Amargosa. It belongs to the same formation as all the rest 
of the Sierra Madre districts so far described. In it, too, a 
great number of veins crop oat on the surface, some of them 
worked. There is one vein I discovered; it is one hundred 
feet wide, which has never been touched, and promises to 
lead into the interior of an ore-bearing mountain of great 
extent. 

The surface of all the mountains of the Amargosa Cieuegita 
district is, already stated, gold-bearing (in the description of 
the Sonora gold mines). The mountain described there as 
paying ^12 per ton of decomposed porphyry and iron pyrites 
forms the most eastern part of this district. By all I know 
of the geology and mining of Sonora I am convinced that the 
interior of this immense mountain is very rich in silver ores, 
perhaps richer than any of the other ore-bearing mountains 
heretofore described. 

The Arroyos of Amargosa and Cienegita have their rise 
in this district. They are tributaries to the Arroyo del Agua 
Verde, and small but permanent streamlets, of the best drink- 
ing water, are consequently of much importance in a region 



90 

whero most of the waters are impregnated with dissolved 
mineral substances. The brook of La Amargosa is the ema- 
nation of a mineral spring (steel water), and as such highly 
prized by the surrounding population. 

The forests of Cienegita Amargosa district being very 
dense and the mountains above the elevation, where grass 
grows freely, this article is scarce in some parts of the dis- 
trict, but found in great abundance in the remaining parts. 
Leaving the Cienegita Amargosa district and taking the road 
for Mulatos one has to pass over the highest ridge in that part 
of the Sierra Madre. It is, like all other high ridges of the 
mountain ranges, composed of trachyte. Arrived on the 
other side, one looks down into a deep valley. It is the bed 
of the Rio de Mulatos, the southern branch of the Yaqui 
river, coming almost from the plateau of Chihuahua. It is 
a principal stream, and the day will come when it will be of 
immense value to mining. On the banks of this stream lies 
the mining town of Mulatos, with some some 1500 half 
starved inhabitants, although living on riches uncounted. 

The gold mines of Mulatos vi^ere once, as I have already 
said, famous, not only through all Sonora, but also all 
through Mexico. Asa silver mining- district I cannot say 
less of it, since all its mountains showing gold near the sur- 
face will change into silver-bearing mountains after certain 
depths have been reached. There is a vein in the Mulatos 
district the ores of which produce the white copper hereto- 
fore only found in China. What its components are I am 
not aware of. Veins bearing silver ores on the very surface 
have so far not been found. Timber, wood and grass are 
rather scarce in the neighborhood of Mulatos, and all pro- 
visions must be brought from the Sahuaripa valley. The 
egress and ingress from and to the town are very difficult, 
and since a direct connection with the future Pacific Eailroad 
is almost imposible, a mountain range 7000 feet in height 
lying between them, I must say that the district of Mulatos 
lies under great disadvantage. On the Eastern side of the 
river lies the mining district of Dolores, said to be rich in 
silver mines; but since I never saw it myself I pass it, and 
shall continue to pass all the mining districts of which noth- 
ing ot importance is to be said. All that broad piece of 
country lying between the districts of La Trinidad and Gua- 
daloupe and the boundary line of Chihuahua belongs to the 
same ore-bearing formation as all the districts of the Sierra 
Madre heretofore described. 

But as nowhere veins of any nature (some gold-bearing 



91 

veins excepted) crop out on the surface, I shall not consider 
it a bona fide mining ground, although lying between the 
great eastern and western raining districts, the latter of which 
I have still to describe. Theoretically speaking, I must look 
oil these hundreds of square miles as ore-bearing, and the 
future mining will prove that I was entitled to do so. 

The most interesting and, perhaps, the richest gold mine 
of Sonora exists in the Sierra Madre, east of the Sahuaripa 
river, and behind the most western range of these mountains. 
It lies in the silver mining district of La Cienegita, and on 
both sides of the little streamlet of La Amagosa, the waters 
of which are charged with iron (steel water). This streamlet 
divides a long, wide and high gold bearing mountain into 
two parts. On the point where it comes out of it, or from 
between them, these mountains reach about 2000 feet above 
the level of the little flat in front of them. The rock which 
contains the gold is a kind of decomposed green stone por- 
phyry and surcharged with oxide of iron (decomposed iron 
pyrites). Take away a ton of ore from these mountains 
wherever j'ou may, and you will find that it pays you from 
|10 to 112 dollars a ton of 2000 lbs. By describing the geo- 
logical character of this district when coming to the silver 
mines of Sonora, I shall refer once more to these two moun- 
tains, and tell my readers what their bowels contain. For 
the present I will add, that what is found on the surface of 
these two mountains is but an indication of what is sleeping 
in their interior. On different and exceedingly rich spots 
large quantities of gold were found, but the bulk of the ore 
has never been worked. — The foregoing description of the dis- 
tricts of La Gariia, La Ghipiona^ La Armigosa and Los Mii- 
latos are from a report by Prof. Julius Miller, an engineer and 
geologist. 

In the Moctezuma district, the La Providencia, originally 
called La Palmita, mine is situated eighteen miles northeast 
of Oposura. This mine was discovered in 1803, and was 
worked by Spaniards up to 1811, by the records. At this 
date the records were destroyed, and it is unknown when the 
mine was last worked. The incline is irregular in the vein; 
depth, 100 feet; width, 4 feet; assay averages $125 per ton. 
Some of the surface croppings, we have been told, went as 
high as $806. The old shafts were abandoned and filled with 
rubbish; the pillars were extracted by gambucinos, leaving 
the mine in a ruinous condition. The intention is to sink a 
new shaft and put up a ten-stamp mill. A trail leads to the 



92 

mine, but no wagon road. This mine was rediscovered by 
a Enssian gentleman, who brought specimens of the ore to 
Harshaw, in Arizona and had them assayed, and there met a 
mining expert from this cit}^, who examined the ore and 
found it rich, and placed the mine with some gentlemen in 
this city, who are now making preparations to extensively 
open it. 

The San Antonio Mineral, in the Altar district, possesses 
some good mines. The Descubridora mine is situated in this 
Mineral, and is owned by the Sigs. Cipriano Ortega and Abe- 
lardo Ortiz, and is within the zone of twenty leagues of the 
frontier boundary upon the Territory of Arizona. The mine 
is developed by five tunnels. The vein runs north and south, 
and its width is from one to four feet. The deptli reached is 
313 metres, with an inclination of vein of twenty degrees. 
The metals contained in the ore are gold, silver and lead, 
and the ley is $16 in gold and $82 in silver, and 72 per cent, 
of lead. The ore is reduced by machinery estabhshedin the 
same Mineral, in which is located the American company, 
entitled the San Antonio Gold Mining Company. This mill 
puts in motion two batteries of five stamps each. The labor- 
ers engaged in the workings of this mine vary from twenty 
to thirty. 

The mine of Cerro de Oro, or Hill of Gold, is in the Min- 
eral of San Antonio. This mine is owned by Sigs. Cipriano 
Ortega and Abelardo Ortiz, and is situated within the zone 
of twenty leagues on the frontier bounding Arizona. The 
workings consist of two tunnels, the first 41 metres in depth 
and the second 45. The metals of this mine assay in gold 
$25 and $56 in silver, and carry 70 per cent of lead. The ore 
is reduced by the machinery of San Antonio. The vein of 
this mine runs east and west, with a width of 2|- metres and 
an inclination of 35 degrees. 

The mine of Vieja de Oro is owned by Sigs. Cipriano Or- 
tega and Abelardo Ortiz, in the zone before-mentioned bound- 
ing Arizona. The mine is developed by one shaft 22 metres 
in depth. The assay of the mine reaches $40 per ton in gold. 
The ore is reduced in the mineral above mentioned. The 
vein of the mine runs east and west, and is 3 feet in width, 
with an inclination of 50 degrees. 

The Rebozadero mine is owned by the same parties be- 
fore-mentioned, and is located near the other mines. The 
mine has been developed by four shafts and one tunnel, and 
reaches in depth 56 metres. The vein runs southeast and 
northwest; width from 2 to 5 feet, with inclination of 20 de- 



93 

grees, and assays $15 per ton, gold. The Cobriza is also 
owned by the same parties, and is located near the others. 
The mine has one shaft, 12 metres in depth. The vein runs 
east and west; width, 1 metre; inclination 35 degrees. The 
assay is $25 per ton, in gold. 

The Rosales mine is owned by Sigs. Francisco, Abel and 
Jose M. del Castillo, and is located adjoining the mines before 
mentioned, in the San Antonio Mineral. This mine has two 
shafts and four drifts, which reach the centre of the work- 
ings, about 180 feet. The vein runs from south to north, 
audits width is from 1 to 4 feet; inclination, 35 degrees. 
The ores by arrastras produce in gold $80 per ton, and is 
worked by four barreteros, or miners. 

The mine of Huisena is located in the Mineral of Plomosos 
and intlie twenty-league belt, northeast of Altar. The mine 
is owned by Sr. Don Francisco Lizarraga. The vein courses 
east and west, and in width reaches 75 centimetres (one 
metre is 39.37-100 inches, and a centimetre is about .39-100 
of an inch). The inclination is 40 degrees. The walls are 
firm, and the ores carry gold and silver. The workings are 
new, and consist of one tunnel, reaching the principal vein. 
The depth attained is 75 metres, and one shaft of 9 metres,- 
and with other workings make in all some 327 metres. The 
present "labores" are in abundant metal; 25 laborers are 
employed in the mine. The metals are reduced in the 
works of the Mineral of Aribaca, in the territory of Arizona, 
distant from the mine about 30 leagues. The ley of the 
metal of the third class has assayed $801 per ton. 

The mine Providencia is located in the Mineral of Sonoj^ta. 
This mine is owned by Sigs. C. Ortega and A. Ortiz, and is 
located within the 20-league boundary, northwest of Altar. 
This mine has one shaft and one drift, and the depth reached 
is 35 metres. The vein runs south and north; width, 1 me- 
tre; inclitiation, 35 degrees, and carries in the ores gold, sil- 
ver, copper and lead. The ley is $8 gold, $40 silver, $20 in 
copper and $52 in lead per ton. The ore is reduced in the 
beneficio of San Antonio. This mine has ten laborers. 

The Eosario mine is in the Sonoyta Mineral, and is owned 
by the same parties last mentioned. This mine has 4 shafts, 
and depth reached is 50 metres. The vein runs south and 
north; width, 2 feet — in some places IJ varas; inclination, 
70 degrees. The ore yields $180 per ton silver and is reduced 
by arastras. The mine is worked by five laborers. 

The San Francisco mine is located in the Mineral of the 
same name. This mine is owned by Don Cipriano Ortega, 



94 

and is also located within the twenty-league belt. The vein 
extends north and south; width 1 to three feet; inclination, 
55 degrees. The ley is $40 per ton gold. The ore is reduced 
in Fremont, Arizona, about twelve leagues distant. The 
mine is worked by four shafts; depth reached 225 feet, and 
employs 30 men. 

The San Francisco mine, in the Mineral of Corazon, is 
owned by Sr. Manuel Escalante and associates, and is situated 
about 25 leagues from the American line. The workings 
consist of shafts and drifts, which have reached 240 feet in 
depth. The vein runs south and north; width, 2J metres; 
inclination, 75 degrees, and assays f 20 gold and $56 in silver 
per ton. The ore is reduced by arastras, and occupies eight 
workmen. 

The Mina Grande is located in the Mineral of Juarez. 
This mine is owned by Sigs. Modesto Borquez, Benigno V. 
Garcia and Justo Bon. It is located about 42 leagues from 
the American line. The vein runs southeast to northwest; 
width, 3 to 12 feet, inclination, 35 degrees. The ores contain 
gold and silver, and the ley is |50 in gold and $15 in silver 
per ton. Tlie arastra is used, and 13 workmen are employed. 
The " labores" are new, and consist of shafts and drifts. 
The depth reached is 370 feet. 

The Juarez mine is located in the Mineral of the same 
name. This mine is owned by the Sigs. Jesus Castro and 
Jose O. Yelasco, and is about 42 leagues from the American 
line. The vein runs southeast to northwest; width, 3 to 6 
feet; inclination 75 degrees. The ley is $30 per ton silver. 
The workings are new and consist of 2 shafts, depth 170 feet. 
The ores are reduced by arastras, and eight workmen are 
employed in the mine. 

The San Felix mine is located in a Mineral of the same 
name, and is owned by Albert Sturges and brothers, and is 
within 56 leagues of the American line. The course of the 
vein is north and south; width, 6 feet; inclination, 15 de- 
grees. The assay runs from $35 to $2000 per ton. The ores 
are worked at reduction works, called " LasTanquas," about 
five leagues from the mine. — [" Perito de Minas del Distrito 
de Altar."] — From an official report on the mines of Sonora, in 
the Altar district. 

The Quintera mine is owned by a New York company, 
who purchased it last September from Mexicans. The prin- 
cipal owners are Messrs. McFarland and Morgan, of New 
York. The mine cost $210,000— $25,000 in cash, one half 



95 

the balance in six months and remainder in one year. The 
property is said to be a good one. A 15 stamp mill is now- 
reducing the ore, that has reached as high as |1000 per ton. 

The Santa Juliana Mining Co. of New York, lately organ- 
ized, have purchased the Santa Juliana and Mina del Padre 
silver mines. These mines are located in the municipality of 
Baroyeca, district of Alamos, about 65 miles from the city of 
Alamos, and 24 miles from the Yaqui river. The Santa jnli- 
ana is an old mine, formerly worked by the Spaniards and 
lately by the Mexicans. The old works are the Trojas, Dios 
Padre, San Francisco, San Juan, Santa Loreto, San Benito, 
Santa Rosa, Troueon ISTuevo, Milagres, Congojas, San Ignacio, 
Salsipnedes and many others. The ores are docile and con- 
tain ruby-silver and sub-sulphides. The old pillars assay from 
$100 to $107 per ton. The Santa Juliana proper has a gen- 
eral E. 14 degrees N. course, with a dip of 45 degrees l!^. Its 
width varies from five to fifteen feet with walls firm and well 
encased. The gangue is principally quartz. It shows all the 
phenomena constituting a true vein, as far as explored from 
the surface to a depth of 700 feet, and in all the lateral works. 

The Refugio mines are situated 25 miles east of Hermos- 
illo, and about 25 miles from the Sonora railroad, 95 miles 
from Guaymas, on the Gulf of California. The mines are con- 
nected with Guaymas by the Sonora railroad. These mines 
were discovered by some prominent merchants of the district 
about a year ago and were purchased from them by the Refu- 
gio Mining Company of Santa Fe, N.M. The mines are situated 
on the Las Norias ranch, adjoining the celebrated San Juan de 
Dios mine, abundantly supplied with timber of good quality, 
and water sufficient for all milling and smelting purposes. 
The property is about 2700 feet long by 700 feet wide. The 
vein strikes apparently IST. E. and S. W., and dips nearly ver- 
tically, although as no walls have, as yet, been encountered, 
actual data cannot be given. However, at the point where 
work has been done, the ore body has been proved to exceed 
7 feet in width without meeting with the wall rock, indicating 
at any rate an enormous body of mineral. The surrounding 
country rock is composed of limestone and porphyry. 

The mineral is carbonate of lead, carrying a considerable 
amount of silver. Numerous assays of the value have been 
made, varying from 35 to 75 per cent, of lead, and from 40 to 
300 ounces of silver, also from $10 to $45 in gold. In the 
adjoining San Juan de Dios mine there exists an ore body 
of about 6 feet wide, reaching $1,850 per ton, also 10 feet of 
solid mineral at the end of the tunnel, none of which has a 
value of less thaa 150 ounces of silver. 



96 

It will thus be seen that the ore is essentially a smelting 
ore, and one that is perhaps more easily reduced than any the 
miner has to deal with. All necessary works for smelting the 
ore are now in course of construction within 1-| miles of the 
mine. 

From the reports of W. A. Jones, on the Jesus Maria mines 
on January 1st, 1881 : — " The mine is situated on one of the 
tributaries of the Mayo river, 40 miles northeast of Alamos, 
state of Sonora. The mine has a length of 2600 feet, by 600 
feet in width, well defined ledge, and is enclosed between lime- 
stone and porphyry, the latter being the hanging wall. The 
ore-bearing material has a width of about 100 feet, samples of 
which assayed according to report from $15^V to llOyVo- P^r 
ton. Notwithstanding the low grade of the samples, from the 
nature and the great extent of the body of the ore, it is a prop- 
erty well worthy of development, with every promise of open- 
ing up into a large and valuable mine." 

" The principal mine of the Plomo Mineral of the Altar dis- 
trict is the Ruisena gold mine and its continuation. This 
mine is located four miles from the village of El Plomo, and 
some 45 miles N. W. of Altar. The vein is a fissure with the 
hanging and foot wall of granite. Width of vein 3 to 3^ feet 
at a depth of 270 feet. The old workings cover an extent of 
over 3000 feet underground, with surface workings extending 
over 5000 feet. The ores carry sulphurets of iron and copper 
and are refractory, with an average result of about $100 per ton. 
This mine has been worked for the last fifty years. The re- 
duction works are located about four miles distant at El 
Plomo, and consist of a ten stamp mill, concentrators, and two 
water jacket furnaces. The refining works have a capacity of 
20 tons per day. 

This property is worked in connection with a large lead 
mine called " Abundancia," located near the works, the vein 
of which averages 4^ feet. The lead ores carry near 50 per 
cent, lead and 20 oz. silver, and about one oz. in gold. 

The property is owned by a company incorporated in Chi- 
cago in June, 1882, the majority interests being held by Chi- 
cago capitalists. Mr. J. Sherman Hall is the Secretary of the 
company.-' — [Report by Mr. D. Tooker, M. E.] 

About two miles from the Ruisena mine, a very rich pocket 
of gold was discovered some 20 years ago that yielded nearly 
a quarter of a million of dollars, all taken out in about three 
weeks. Some further prospecting has been done but this is 
the principal strike of this region. 

The "Sonora Chief" mine is located in the Carbonera 



97 

mountains on the east side of San Miguel river, about 9 miles 
north of San Miguel, Carbonera Mineral, Ures district. The 
vein is a contact vein, formation, porphyry hanging wall and 
lime foot wall, width of vein 7 to 10 feet at a depth of 140 
feet. The ores carry carbonate of lead and oxide of iron, and 
is a free smelting ore, carrying about 40 per cent, lead and 
from 80 to 100 oz. of silver per ton. The intention of the 
present operators is to ship the ore over Sonora railway direct 
to San Francisco, or Benson Reduction works. 

The Jesus Maria mine is located at a point near Carbo 
station some seven miles distant, and is a large deposit of car- 
bonate of lead and iron, lying nearly flat, which is developed 
by several open cuts and shafts, showing ore from 4 to 20 feet 
in thickness. The ores carry about 30 per cent, lead and 40 
oz. of silver per ton. The ore will be shipped to Benson if 
reasonable rates can be secured. 

The "Santa Felicita" mine is situated about 24 miles north- 
west from the city of Altar, and about 8 miles north of the 
town of Caborca, in the Altar mining district. The vein is a 
true fissure ; width, from 5 to 18 feet, at a depth of 320 feet. 
The ore is a free-milling gold, carrying $30 to $80 per ton in 
gold, and from 70 to 80 ounces in silver. The ore body is 
decomposed quartz, with hanging wall granite, and foot wall 
porphyry. This property has been worked from 10 to 12 
years. The " Santa Felicita Mining and Milling Co.," of 
Chicago, own and work the property, reducing the ore by a 
20 stamp mill. This mine is said to be one of the most valu- 
able in northwestern Sonora. 

The Bonanea gold mine is located about three miles east of 
the Santa Felicita, and has a vein of ore from two to five feet 
wide, of the same character and about the same value as that 
of the Santa Felicita. This mine also belongs to the same 
company. 

The above-named company are being amply remunerated 
for their investment. Dr. Davis, of Chicago, the Secretary, 
from whom we obtained the above data, saj^s the net profits 
upon the working of the property reaches from $24,000 to 
$30,000 per month, and that the company is so well satisfied 
with their investment that they refuse to allow its stock to be 
quoted on tlje market, or the property to be sold. 

In speaking of the old mines of Sonora, Francisco Y elasco 
says that the old Spaniards generally confined themselves to 
the high grade ores, and when they were no longer in abun- 
dance they abandoned the mine, which then became choked 
or filled with water. "Windlasses or pulleys at that time 



98 



were almost unknown; and where the mine could not be 
kept free of water by buckets, it was abandoned." All of 
which plainly indicates that old mines, as a rule, had. better 
be very closely examined before any extensive outlay is 
entered upon; and since the mineral wealth of Sooora is 
almost unlimited, a good, new mine, with paying ore, or 
an old mine with present evidence of its richness, is better 
than abandoned or exhausted mines with a past reputation 
of almost fabulous wealth. When a mine has produced its 
millions, generally there is not much paying ore left to warrant 
an extensive reopening. 

The Santa Clara Coal Fields of Sonora. 

" These coal fields are situated in the district of Ures, Jur- 
isdiction of San Javier, and Mineral or mining district of La 
Barranca, about 100 miles due east from Hermosillo, and 
about 120 miles north-east from the port of Gaaymas, four 
miles east from the Barranca mine, about 12 miles east 
of the town of San Javier, and about three and a half miles 
west of the Yaqui River. 

"These coal beds were first denounced by William Lub- 
bert, Ii^apoleou Grafi^, Thomas Mahan, Frank Ench, and An- 
tonio Cubillos, on the 26th day of April, 1872. At the 
present date the property is owned exclusively by I!n^. Graff, 
Florence R. Rountree, A. Cubillos, and F. Ench. The title 
of the above property vests in said parties, and is free from 
all incumbrances up to Jan. 1st, 1881, when, at that date, 
the property was bonded to Charles A. McQuesten, of this 
city. The property is held by the above-named parties as 
an association. 

" The property consists of extensive deposits of anthracite 
coal," with some appearances of being partly bituminous, 
which indicates that there must be extensive coal beds of 
both anthracite and bituminous coal. " The coal beds de- 
nounced are contained in one square league of laud. Up to 
the present date two well-defined veins of coal have been 
exposed. 

" The first consists of a vein nine feet six inches thick, that 
has been developed by explorations and examinations on 
the side of a mountain. 

" In some places, the vein is within about from one to four 
feet from the surface. This vein can be traced for about 
1,000 feet horizontally, and about 500 feet above the base of 
the mountain, and extending toward the summit of the 



99 

mountain. One extensive tunnel has been run on this vein, 
following its dip. ISTo explorations have been m.ide above 
the point above mentioned; but indications show that this 
vein has a much larger area. The incline of the vein is 
20 degrees S. S. E., the dip east by north-east. At a dis- 
tance of 22 feet below the point of location of the above- 
mentioned vein is another vein of about seven feet in 
thickness. This vein is reached by a shaft on the opposite 
side of the creek, on the side of the mountain opposite. On 
the side of the mountain, several excavations have deter- 
mined the thickness of the vein. At the foot of this mount- 
ain is a canon about 100 yards wide, on the opposite side of 
which rises a high and rugged mountain. This canon is 
about six miles long, commencing at the Taramari mine and 
ending near the xaqui River. The coal veins are about 
one-half the distance between these points, or about two 
and one-half miles from the Yaqui River bottoms. 

"The bed of this canon can be made into a good wagon 
road with little work, from the coal veins to the river. 
Water is found in the canon at a depth of eight feet. In 
many places in this canon, shite and many indications of coal 
are found. The geological formation of the vicinity and the 
character of the coal is as follows: The mountain ranges in 
the immediate vicinity of the coal are very rugged, with 
steep sides, covered with trees, cactus plants, and other trop- 
ical vegetation. The average elevation of the range of 
mountains is about 3,000 feet above the sea level. 

"The range of mountains is continuous for over 100 miles 
running north, and about twenty south, of the location of the 
coal beds. They form the mountains bordering on both sides 
of the valley of the Yaqui River. Placers of gold that have 
yielded very richly, are located near the valley of the Yaqui, 
one man having in a single season extracted $30,000 from 
this same canon where the coal beds are located. The 
Yaqui River is about three-and-a-half miles from the present 
workings of the mine; and the coal mine is very easy of 
access by a road to be constructed through the canon, up a 
gentle incline. At present there is no road for wagons. 
Horses and mules are therefore used to reach the mines. 
With very little work a wagon-road could be constructed, or 
even a railroad, direct to the river's bank. For a distance 
of about ninety miles from the mouth, the Yaqui River is 
uavigable for barges or flat boats; and at this point rocks 
and rapids impede a further passage, except for small boats, 
which are carried around the rapids by "carriers," at the 



100 

mouth of the canou opposite the coal fields. The river at 
this point is about 200 feet wide and four feet deep, during 
the dry season; but during the rainy season a considerable 
increase in the volume of water takes place. Engineers 
state that the river can be made navigable for barges from 
the point opposite the cauon before mentioned, to the moutli 
of the river, a distance, by following the course of the river, 
of about 120 miles. The Yaqui Kiver lands, for a distance 
of 100 miles above its mouth, are noted for the richness of 
the soil, and the large crops, " as before mentioned. " "A rail- 
road can easily be built from the mine to the river, and fol- 
lowing near the different windings of the river north, to 
enter the United States near Tombstone, where a market can 
be found for a large quantity of coal for milling purposes, 
and also for smelting furnaces, used to smelt the rich argent- 
iferous and galena ores that abound in that region; and also 
through northern and middle Sonora, where hundreds of 
mines containing smelting-ore require a coal suitable for 
smelting purposes; or soath, through the rich valley of the 
Yaqui River bottom, where millions of acres of the finest 
land in the world are awaiting the emigrant to cultivate its 
soil; and on to the port of Guaymas, where a market can be 
found for a large amount of coal for steamers that regularly 
ply from San Francisco and that port, and for vessels of war 
of England, United States, and other nations, that regularly 
touch at Guaymas. 

" From Guaymas, barges can ply ^Jetween that port and 
Mazatlan, or Cape St. Lucas, in Lower California, where a 
depot of coal could readily find a sale in supplying ocean 
steamers that ply between China, Japan, Australia, Pa- 
nama and San Francisco, with a prospect in the near future 
of supplying coal to the fleets of steamers that will ply 
through the Isthmus of Panama Canal. Barges could also 
take the coal direct from the Yaqui, up the gulf, to the Col- 
orado River, to Yuma; there supplying the steamers on that 
river, the several railroads that pass over this river, and 
the mills on and near this river, where steamers now go up 
a distance of about 200 miles from Yuma. Vessels could 
also transport this coal direct from the Yaqui to San Fran- 
cisco, where a ready demand for anthracite coal will result 
in large sales, as at present all anthracite coal used in San 
Francisco comes from Pennsylvania." (Extract from the 
report of Charles A. McQuesten, of this city, on the 
Santa Clara coal fields of Sonora.) We might add that the 
Mexican Congress has lately approved of the concession to 



101 



Mr. Robert R. Symon for the construction of a railroad from 
the above coal, fields to El Morrito, on the Bay of Guay- 
mas. Thus it will be seen that this coal will soon be on the 
market. 

Quieksilvey, Graphite, Marble, Copper, Lead, Coal, 

Iron, Etc. 

The ores of the mines of Santa Teresa and Santa Ana 
contain quicksilver, and tradition says that the mineral re- 
gion of Rio Chico also produces this metal. 

In San Jose' de la Pimas there is a small hill entirely com- 
posed of graphite or black lead. 

In San Javier is a vein of a dark color on the face of a 
hill, frona which is extracted a compact substance which, 
when dissolved in water, produces a fine ink, which is sim- 
ilar to India ink, from China. 

In Oposura, there is a hill composed of excellent marble, 
of which the altars and churches of Sonora are built. 

At Ures, there is also another marble quarry. 

The celebrated hill* of "La Campana," in the city of Her- 
mosillo, is composed entirely of marble as white as that of 
Italy, and it is used, in some instances, to pave the streets. 
Alabaster and jasper are found also at Oposura and Ures. 
Copper is found in the mountain range of La Cananea, north 
of Arispe. 

Aduana, (an old region of gold mines) Touuco, 36 miles 
west of Hermosillo, and Bacuachi and La Cobriza, west of 
Horcasitas, all contain copper ores. 

Lead abounds in Cieneguilla and Arispe, Batuco, Sau 
Jqs6 de Gracia, Aduana, and Promontorio. 

Agua Caliente and Alamo Muerto contain lead, although 
it is found in the greatest quantities at Cieneguilla and 
Arispe. 

Coal is found near Los Bronces and La Baranca, be- 
fore mentioned, where a vein of from seven to nine feet is 
found. 

Iron is found in abundance in the southern part of Ari- 
zona, in the range of mountains called Madera, and in the 
northern part of Sonora, and at Mogollon. 

In the neighborhood of Cucurpe there is a vein of in- 
combustible crystal. 



SINALOA. 



CHAPTER I. 

General Description. 

From the river Mayo to Alamos, in Sonora, the country 
is an extension of rolling hills, and from thence down to the 
coast and the valley of the river Fuerte, bordering Sinaloa. 
Here the "tierra caliente " plain is encountered that ex- 
tends all the way down the coast, through the whole length 
of the State of Sinaloa. The town of Fuerte is located on 
the river Fuerte, about 80 miles from the mouth. The 
river is navigable for flat-boats up to this point. An exten- 
sive valley below Alamos extends almost due south, between 
the mountains on the east and the low range of hills on the 
west, until it opens into the valley of the Fuerte and the 
plains located south. The Fuerte River is about 200 miles 
long, and rises north-east in the Sierra Madre, and flows 
south-west into the Gulf of California. The next river en- 
countered is the Sinaloa, which rises in the neighborhood of 
the south-western part of Chihuahua, and flows in a south- 
westerly course, describing a section of a circle through 
placers of gold situated east of the town of Sinaloa, about 
25 miles. Here the river winds in a curve to the east and 
again to the west, within a space of about eight miles, 
then continues its course, passing the town of Sinaloa, situ- 
ated on its banks, and flows south-west into the gulf. A 
small peninsula completely hides its mouth from the open 
waters of the gulf. Another peninsula juts out in an oppo- 
site direction, forming a very good harbor for small vessels. 
The river is about 180 miles in length. The Mocorito Ar- 
royo or creek is next crossed, and another small stream, 
uiitil the river of Culiacan is reached, which rises in the 
western part of Durango, near Tamasula, and flows south- 
west into the gulf, the mouth of which is also hidden 
behind an island, forming a very good roadstead, called the 

102 



103 

Puerto de Altata. The city of Culiacau is located on the 
banks of this river, opposite the point where the Rio de 
Hamaya empties into the CuHacan Eiver. This river is 
about 150 miles long, and on each side of it spurs of the 
Sierra Madre jut out into the plain within about 30 miles of 
the coast; the valley of Culiacan being at this point 15 
miles wide. The Rio de San Lorenzo is next reached, that 
flows south-west direct into the gulf. The great mining dis- 
trict of Cosala lies south-east of this river, near its source; 
the town of Cosala being about 10 miles south from its 
banks. This river runs through a valley of narrow width, 
the whole distance, until it reaches the plains beyond. 

A valley branches from the valley of San Lorenzo up to 
Cosala, with a gentle incline, when it again commences to 
slope on the other side down a valley or canon to the Elota 
River. This river also rises in the western part of Durango, 
and flows south-west into the gulf. This river is about 110 
miles long, and has numerous branches. In the neighbor- 
hood of its branches, in its canons and ravines, and on the 
slopes of the mountains adjacent, are some of the most cele- 
brated mines of gold and silver in the state. The Rio de 
Piastla also rises in Durango, in its western part, near the 
celebrated mines of San Dimas, and flows south-west, pass- 
ing San Ignacio, and empties into the gulf. The valley of 
Piastla is also very narrow; but some exceedingly fertile 
lands are found in its bottoms, as in many other portions of 
the state. 

Another small arroyo is reached, and we enter into the 
thickly-settled region adjacent to the city of Mazatlan. The 
port of Mazatlan is located on the coast, about half-way be- 
tween the mouth of the arroyo last mentioned and the river 
of Mazatlan. This river also rises in the canons of Durango, 
about 20 miles across the border line of the state of Sina- 
loa, and beyond the mines of Ventanas, and flows south-west 
about 50 miles, and then takes a course almost due south, 
and empties into the gulf, or rather Paciflc Ocean; the 
mouth of the Gulf of California being now reached. The 
point where the river discharges itself into the sea is about 
15 miles below Mazatlan City. The Rosario River also rises 
across the border line of the state, in Durango, and flows 
south-west, into the ocean, passing El Rosario, in the neigh- 
borhood of which are located some very rich mines. Above 
the mouth of this river, and lying in from the coast, is 
located the lagoon or lake of El Caimanero, which is about 
12 miles long, and about 4 miles in width at its widest 
point. 



104: 

The Rio de las Canas, at the southern border of the State, 
separating Sinaloa from Jalisco, flows in the same direction 
as the Rosario River, and empties into the bay or lagoon of 
Boca de Tecopan, a narrow inlet of the sea which winds 
into the plain about five miles, and then spreads north in a 
narrow body of water about ten miles, and south about 
thirty-five miles, into an extensive body of water in the 
southern part. It is said it may be made one of the finest 
harbors in the world, and would contain all the fleets of the 
globe. With such a harbor as this at Mazatlan the most power- 
ful city of the Pacific Coast would spring up upon its shores. 
This harbor is located about fifty miles below Mazatlan. 
The Tierra Caliente plain, before referred to, is about 300 
miles long, and iiltersected by the rivers and streams before 
mentioned; and at its widest part is about forty miles in 
width, with extensive valleys branching up the banks of the 
rivers, some of which are 100 miles in length — the valley of 
the Fuerte being the largest. The foot-hills of the mount- 
ains are covered with timber, such as cedar, and the varie- 
ties of oak. The State of Sinaloa extends over an area of 
nearly 3,600 square miles, and has a population of about 
200,000. The surface of the plains of the coast is low and 
somewhat sandy, though the soil is very fertile. Its ijro- 
ductions are similar to Sonora, though to a less extent. 
Dye-woods abound on the coast and toward the Sierra Madre, 
and on the eastern frontier there abound extensive forests 
of pine and cedar covering the mountain sides adjacent to 
the streams. The rivers flowing into the gulf are used to 
irrigate adjacent land during the dry season. The state is 
divided into nine districts, viz., Mazatlan, Rosario, Concor- 
dia, Cosala, San Ignacio, Mocorito, Fuerte, Sinaloa, and 
Culiacan. The state is bounded on the north and north- 
west by Sonora; and north and north-east by Chihuahua; 
and east by Durango; and south-east by Jalisco; on the 
south-west by the mouth of the Gulf of California. The north 
and north-eastern portion is very mountainous, while it is 
more level on the coast, which is drained, as well as the 
mountains adjacent in the north-east, by the rivers before 
named. The interior contains mines of considerable extent, 
some of which are very rich, to which we will give some at- 
tention hereafter. The interior valleys are very fertile, espe- 
cially the valley of Piastla, on the Piastla River, and the 
valley of Rosario, about twenty miles south-east of Mazatlan. 
There are about 100 towns in the state, and out of the latter, 
Mazatlan, Culiacan, Cosala, Rosario, Fuerte, and Sinaloa, are 



105 

the most prominent. The first town reached of any import- 
ance is the town of El Fuerte. 

The situation of the town is charming, being on the south 
bank of the Fuerte River. This river is about a quarter 
of a mile wide, aud passes along the foot of a plateau that 
is elevated about 90 feet above its bed. There is a fair 
view both up and down the river, from this plateau. The 
town of Fuerte has about 1,000 inhabitants, and should be 
the principal inland town of the State. 

There is no commerce at Fuerte, from the fact that its 
advantageous natural position is no protection from the 
competition of Alamos on the north aud Mazatlan on the 
south. The valley in which the town is located is one that 
might be one of the most fertile in the State and can be 
easily irrigated from the river, and will raise corn, wheat, 
sugar-cane, cotton, and the various cereals, but the inhab- 
itants prefer to use this magnificent valley for grazing pur- 
poses, and raise chiefly stock. The mules raised here have 
the reputation of being the best in the State. The road 
from Fuerte is of the same character to Mazatlan, passing 
through Mocorita and Sinaloa. 

The principal family at Fuerte are the descendants of A. 
Ybarra. 

Ward, in his celebrated work on " Mexico," says of 
Fuerte: 

" The situation is not particularly favorable, as, notwith- 
standing the vicinity of the river, the country about the 
town is unproductive, and the heat in summer intolerable. 

"The Tierra Caliente of Sinaloa extends from El Fuerte, 
or rather from Alamos, to the confines of Guadalajara 
(Jalisco). It is one vast,' sandy plain, destitute of vegeta- 
tion, except in the rainy season, or in spots where the vi- 
cinity of the mountains or the confluence of two large 
streams insure a constant supply of water. 

"This is the case at Culiacan, the most ancient and popu- 
lous town in Sinaloa, situated upon a river of the same name, 
80 leagues south of El Fuerte. It contains 11,000 inhab- 
itants, and the country about it is well watered and highly 
productive." 

Of Cosala, he says: "Cosala, 35 leagues south of Culi- 
acan, is the next town of any note on the road to Jalisco. It 
derives its importance entirely from its mines, one of which, 
called jSTuestra Senora de Guadalupe, is very celebrated. Gua- 
dalupe is free from water, aud situated at a considerable ele- 
vation above the plain. It contains a vein of gold of consid- 



106 

erable breadth, and its produce might be increased to ten 
times its present amount, etc." 

From Cosala to the capital or City of Mexico, or the Cen- 
tral States of the Republic, there are two routes, the one by 
E-osario, the Canas and Guadalajara, which is impassable 
during the rainy season, and the other due east from Cosala 
across the Sierra Madre to Durango. The distance from 
Alamos to Fuerte is 35 miles. This place was originally 
a military station, but the military are now removed to 
Mazatlan. 

The town of Sinaloa is located on the river of the same 
name, and has about 1,500 to 2,000 inhabitants. The prin- 
cipal business of this place is in the production of Indian 
earn, pork, and lard, which is exported. The principal busi- 
ness men are Francisco T. Penna and K. Nunez, who are 
in both the wholesale and retail trade, and H. Carubbio. 
The town of Sinaloa is located on a small river, and in the 
winter or dry season it dwindles to a very small stream. The 
seasons are reversed in the State. They have their dry 
season while we have our wet, and the reverse. The district 
around is fertile, and produces the usual agricultural pro- 
ductions, though the principal trade is as we have stated. 

The town has but one street. The ladies of this town are 
celebrated for their beauty in the whole State, as those of 
Hermosillo are famous in Sonora. 

Roads of the State. 

A stage runs from Guaymas to Alamos over the old road, 
which runs east back of the bay, or north of the inlet form- 
ed by the mouth of the Yaqui River, crossing the small 
stream of San Jos^, and the river Matape which flows into 
the gulf; thence to Torin on the banks of the Yaqui River, 
a distance of about 80 miles. The river is here crossed by 
a ferry in wet seasons, and forded in dry seasons, to Rocam, 
and thence north, following the course of the Yaqui, to Co- 
cori, about 20 miles; thence to El Baihoca and south to Co- 
raque, due east of Bocam, and distant in a straight line only 
about 15 miles. This short cut can be taken and save about 
35 miles of useless travel. From Coraque the road runs 
south-east to Camoa on the opposite side of the Mayo River, 
which is here crossed at a distance of about 35 miles from 
Coraque; thence to Alamos, about 12 miles. From Alamos 
to El Fuerte the distance is about 35 miles, where the 
Fuerte River is crossed; thence almost due south to Sinaloa, 



107 

about 60 miles; thence across the Sinaloa River and on to 
the Mocorito River and the small town of Mocorito; thence 
south-east. through Palmas to La Morita; and thence taking a 
more southerly course to Caliacan across the Ouliacau River, 
distant from Sinaloa about 85 or 90 miles. Here two routes 
are presented to Mazatlan, one by way of Cosala, which takes 
a south-east course through the small towns and ranchos of 
Las Arayanes, Las Flechas, El Vichi, Las Milpas, Santa Anita, 
and Casa Blanca on the small stream of San Lorenzo; thence 
crossing the stream east to Las Vegas, Carriscal, Higuiera, 
and Cosala, a distance of about 60 miles ; thence south, pass- 
ing Calafanta, Conitaca, Salado, crossing a small branch of 
the Elota River; thence to Laguua and Elota, about 40 miles 
from Cosala. The other route from Culiacan runs south to 
Aguarita and El Carriscal, El Salado, and San Lorenzo on the 
river of that name. The river is here crossed and a south- 
east course taken to'Avaya, Vinapa, Higuerita, and thence 
east to Elota on the Elota River. The former route is the 
most traveled, though longer, as it passes through the rich 
mining region of Cosala. The latter route is over a stretch 
of about 80 miles, while the former is about 100 miles. 
From Elota the road is direct to Mazatlan, distant about 55 
miles south-east, crossing the Elota River, and Piastla River 
at Piastla; thence to Coyotitan, Quebrachi, Quelite, Coma- 
cho, Aval, Los Otates, and Mazatlan. From Mazatlan a road 
runs south-east to the Presidio of Mazatlan, and east to El 
Rosario on the Rosario River; thence south-east into the 
state of Jalisco to Guadalajara and on to the capital of Mex- 
ico. 

The road from Fuerte to Mazatlan and Rosario is a good 
one, to which we have referred already, and is used for wag- 
ons and a stage line constantly during the dry season, but it 
is impassable during the wet season on account of the lack 
of the bridges over rivers that are swollen to a dangerous 
depth and swiftness, and the roads being of clay and sand 
become boggy. Another road, or rather mule trail, leads 
from Mazatlan through San Sebastian east and then north, 
passing many ranchos on the Mazatlan River, to Morito and 
east, where the river Mazatlan is crossed twice on account of 
a bend in the river, and on up the Mazatlan Valley into Du- 
rango; passing Favor in Sinaloa and Saulito in Durango, 
and other towns up the canon to the mines of San Antonio 
de las Ventanas, and the celebrated mines of Guarisamay, 
and from thence on to Durango, about 150 miles distant from 
Mazatlan. 



108 

CHAPTER II. 
Mazatlan. 

The coast adjacent to Mazatlan, with its mountain peaks 
in the background, presents a grand and imposing scenery; 
and during the rainy season, when the valleys, hills and 
mountains are covered with verdure, it is one of the most 
beautiful spots on the coast. The small sugar-loaf mountains 
rise frequently, near and in the distance, presenting a variety 
of scenery to the eye that is very pleasing, and to lovers of 
scenery, it is delightful. 

The port of Mazatlan is not capacious, nor surrounded by 
those safe landmarks characteristic of many of the ports on 
the Pacific Coast. For fear of the southerly or south-west 
winds, no vessels can be anchored long in the harbor, as the 
land is low adjacent, and on the south-west mostly open to 
the ocean. For this reason, vessels only stop long enough 
to unload, and proceed on their way. The inner harbor is 
far from admitting heavy merchant-vessels like the clipper 
ships arriving in the port of San Francisco. The approach 
is safe, however, for ocean steamers to approach and retreat 
when touching at this port. Larger ships anchor under the 
lee of the island of Creston, which is rather small, but much 
elevated. In this harbor there are two other islands, called 
Venado and Pajoros. The dangers to vessels during the 
stormy season detract much from the commercial position 
and advantages of Mazatlan; and, for that reason, Guaymas, 
in Sonora, will be the principal port for the vessels passing 
up the Gulf of California. 

The city of Mazatlan is nearly surrounded by water, a 
mere tongue connecting it to the mainland. I^ear the 
water's edge, and back half a mile, the surface of the site is 
even, and also to the limits of the city, from the fort on the 
west, for more than a mile eastward; yet, farther back, it is 
uneven and ungraded. The fort commanding the inner har- 
bor to the city is located on the side of an elevated plateau, 
near 1,500 feet above the sea. On its summit, one may en- 
joy the beautiful scenery spread out before him — a pano- 
rama of mountains, low undulating hills, and valleys. In 
this fort are planted some antiquated cannon, commanding 
the city and harbor. The streets are not laid out regularly. 
One main street runs from the water front out into the 
country beyond, on which are located both retail and whole- 
sale business houses. Some are also situated on the streets of 



109 

the water front. The whole number of shops and stores 
reach as many as 500. The buildin2:s are mostly constructed 
of soft brick, one foot square, and, in some instances, there 
are stone buildings. Adobe houses are mostly occupied by 
the poorer classes in the suburbs. Most of the buildings 
are one-story; yet, in some few instances, the houses built 
by foreigners are two stories high. The houses are con- 
structed roughly, and plastered inside and out, and after- 
wards penciled. The roofs and floors are made of brick. 
For the floor, the ground is raised, and surface leveled, and 
bricks laid in cement, which makes the floors both durable 
and cool in the summer. When the floors are carpeted, 
wool or common cotton is laid down first, then the carpet. 
Among the poorer classes, no carpet is used, but a native 
mat. Ileavj^ joists and close together are laid across the 
walls of the building for the roof, and on these a tight floor 
of boards is laid, and on this the bricks are laid, one foot in 
thickness, cemented completelj^ water-tight. The walls are 
commonly three feet thick, making each house a complete 
fortress, and, withal, very cool in the summer season. 

The style of architecture is a mixture of the Moorish and 
Gothic. The doors are clumsy and large, generally fast- 
ened inside by wooden bars. The windows have mostly 
iron gratings of three quarters of an inch in diameter, and 
sometimes shutters, making the city look like a city of pris- 
ons. The inside walls are frequently papered, and the 
houses well and even elegantly furuishel. 

Most of the goods sold here are imported directly from 
Europe, and German houses seem rather to take the lead in 
commercial pursuits throughout the country. There are 
about 100 foreigners in the city, mostly engaged in com- 
mercial pursuits, and they are said to own most of the real 
estate in the city. 

Gold, silver, and copper, and dye-woods are shipped from 
this point in large quantities. Many ship-loads are packed in 
from the interior on the backs of mules. '-Burros," or 
she-asses, are used, to some extent, to pack mortar, bricks, 
lumber, etc.; but freight wagons and carts are also used, 
drawn by mules. 

The streets are mostly paved with round cobble-stones, 
and in a concave form, so that the water drains ofi:* in the 
center. These stones are laid in cement, and become quite 
firm, so that they are not easily misplaced, except during 
the rainy season. The sidewalks are narrow, some made of 
hewn timbers, and laid so that two persons can walk side by 



110 

side. Others are constructed of soft burnt bricks and flag- 
stone. On any of them, but two persons can walk side by 
side. 

The government buildings, such as the custom houses, 
forts, and arsenals, are well constructed, airy, and remarka- 
bly adapted to the torrid zone. These, as well as private 
buildings, have a species of rain spouts, which, in the rainy 
season, scarcely extend the dripping waters from the side- 
walks. There is one church in Mazatlan. The composite 
architecture of beautiful constructions of arches and pillars 
give some of the buildings quite an imposing appearance. 
There are two principal hotels, kept by Frenchmen, who 
charge about $2.00 per day. Inside the court-yards, flower- 
ing shrubs, rare bushes, the hyacinth, and the trailing vine 
are frequently seen. The delicate and refined taste of the 
ladies of Mazatlan is well known in the republic, and their 
beauty rivals the maids of Hermosillo. A public plaza is 
tastefully laid- out, with seats on the sides of the square, 
made of brick, having brick sides, and painted red, with, 
brick walks through the center, coinciding with either point 
of the compass, and with a circular brick walk inside the 
seats around the whole circuit of the plaza; and to enhance 
the beauty of this, every 15 feet orange trees are set on the 
inside edge of this circular walk, which truly adds beauty 
to the whole scene. A beautiful fountain of crystal water 
plays day and night. 

The marketing is done principally on Sunday morning on 
the market square, where purchases are made from the 
country people for the week. Indian corn, beans, Irish po- 
tatoes, sweet potatoes, eggs, red peppers, bananas, plantains, 
oranges, limes, several species of custard apples, squashes, 
pumpkins, watermelons, muskmelons, chickens, turkeys, 
and a variety of gallinaceous birds, such as the "hoco" or 
"curassow" and pheasants; also, crockery ware, chairs, and 
other articles are not unfrequently exhibited for sale. After 
the sales are ended, to the inhabitants of the city, the bal- 
ance are bought by local hucksters at a reduced price. A 
theater is in the city, where the beauty and Hiie gather to 
listen to Spanish plays of love and tragedy. 

Mazatlan is now a commanding commercial city of rapid- 
ly growing importance to Lower California, southern So- 
nora, Chihuahua, Durango, and northern Jalisco, and the 
state of Sinaloa. 

Vast regions of agricultural, grazing and mineral lands 
are adjacent, untouched, that await development by foreign 



Ill 

capital and industry. Most of the trade of all this region 
passes through Mazatlau. 

This city has but few equals for its surrounding advantages, 
and invites to her municipal confines an intelligent class of 
immigrants, who will develop her latent energies and re- 
sources. 

Sailing-vessels go leisurely up the gulf, carrying the pro- 
ductions of the south, though the greater part of the carry- 
ing is now done by steamers. The principal freight is su- 
gar, coffee, rice and tobacco, with foreign and domestic mer- 
chandise. These are exchanged for flour, fruits, gold and 
silver, copper, pearls, salt, hides, imd tallow. Fome consid- 
erable sugar, cotton, rice, corn, beans, etc., and tropical 
fruits are produced in the rear of Mazatlan, in the Mazatlau 
Valley, which is 45 miles wide in its widest part, nearly one 
hundred miles in length, and well watered by the Mazatlan 
River. 

Land can be cultivated three miles on each side of the 
river, on the river bottom lands. There are about 17,000 
inhabitants in the town. The river, which empties into the 
sea, is 100 yards wide in rainy seasons, and is navigable for 
large barges, for five months, some distance up the river. 
The stage crosses in barges. The country east of Mazatlan 
is mostly level to the base of the mountains, diversified by 
rolling ground. There is one large cotton factory in the city, 
which manufactures the cotton raised in the vicinity, into 
goods that are purchased by the inhabitants of the region 
surrounding. This is a great cotton country, and timber is 
plentiful. 

Coal has been found seventy-five miles from the city with 
a vein cropping out three feet in width, something like an- 
thracite. An interior valley, of 30 to 40 miles in width, at 
the widest point, lies beyond the Sierra Madre, east of the 
city, 40 miles from the river Mazatlan. Eich mines have 
been found near Cosala. Grazing is carried on extensively. 
The city commands the trade and supplies the wants of the 
country people and the inland towns within two-thirds of a 
circle from 200 to 1,000 miles in the interior. 

Rich merchants come in from the country with pack- 
trains, who have extensive haciendas, gold or silver mines, 
or who are exclusively engaged in commercial pursuits. 
The roads, or rather trails, through the mountain districts are 
not very good ; and the rivers, in the rainy season, being mostly 
without bridges, present serious obstacles during that season 
for travel in the interior. The rainy season commonly in- 



112 

eludes the montlis of June, July, August, September, and a 
j)art of October; and during most of this time it rains a little 
nearly every day. Most of the flour used in Mazatlan, Tepic, 
and Colima, and the ports of San Bias and Manzanillo, is ex- 
ported from Guaymas, in Sonora. The flour is nearly as white, 
possessing the same qualities, as California flour. From 
Mazatlan to the mouth of the liio Grande, in Texas, near 
that point it is nearly six hundred miles; and a rail road from 
this city to the mouth of that river is practicable, and can 
be made by passing over a distance of 1,000 miles. To 
Loredo, in Tamaalipas, on the Rio Grande, it is not much 
more; the latter point being the point of connection with an 
eastern road running from the City of Mexico, almost due 
north. A better route, however, might pass Guadalajara, 
and connect with that road south of Loredo. The City of 
Mazatlan will be unquestionably a powerful rival of San 
Francisco. On the low land there is not much cultivation 
on a level with the sea. 

The hacienda or rancho Tamaulipas of Piastla, on the road 
to Culiacan, contains about 30,000 acres, and is situated on 
the Piastla River, about seven miles from the coast, the whole 
of which can be cultivated, and is easily irrigated from the 
river. The stream, during the wet season, is navigable as far 
as the rancho. This rancho is owned by the Laveagas, but 
is not for sale. There are small ranchos, however, in the 
vicinity for s.ale. There arc also very fertile lands near the 
Rio de Rosario, twenty miles south-east from Mazatlan. 
On this river, and throughout the country, land is cheap. 
Haciendas of one, two, and three leagues in extent, can be 
purchased for one, two, three and four thousand dollars. 

Corn sells from 50 cents to $1 per bushel; beans, $9 per 
carga; oranges and limes $10 per thousand ; sweet potatoes, 
6 to 10 cents per lb. ; beef, pork, and mutton, from 6 to 10 
cents per lb. Poultry and eggs are high. Butter is sent 
here from Guaymas, but it is of a whitish color, and almost 
tasteless. The cheese is no better. Lower California fur- 
nishes large quantities of this cheese for the market of Ma- 
zatlan. An industrious American might settle in the vicinity 
of Mazatlan, and following most any pursuit, such as garden- 
ing, keeping a dairy, or even agriculture, he could accumu- 
late a snug fortune, and in a short time retire from business, 
living in comparative ease and affluence. 

The principal business houses are: Rogers & Marshall, 
Juan Cristobal Farber, Edward Coffey, Budwig & Rasch, 
Isaac V. Coppall, Charpentier, Reynard & Co., Peua & Co., 



X 



113 



Bartning Hermanos y Cia, Canuobio Hermanos, Diaz de 
Leon Hermanos, J. Kelly y Cia, Bcheguren y Hijos y Sobri- 
nos, James Hermanos, Federico Koerdell y Cia, J. De la 
Quintana, Jesus Escobar, Joaquin Redo, Haas y Aguiar, 
Tepia y Ceballos, Gonzales Hermanos, Vicente Ferreira y 
Cia, Charpentier, Reynaud y Cia, Duhagan y Cia, Melchers 
Successores, Felton Hermanos, and Juan Somelleriay Cia. 

The implements used in husbandry are of the most 
primitive character in some portions of the state. The 
plow consists of two poles, one six feet long, and the other 
fifteen feet, fastened together by the means of a mortice and 
tenon, at an angle of sixty-five degrees. Through, and 
near the end of the short pole, there is a pin to steady the 
plow; and on its end there is attached a pointed iron or steel 
shoe to prevent it from readily wearing out. The yoke has 
no bows, but is fastened on the heads of the cattle by means 
of raw-hide thongs, and so is the tongue of the plow to the 
yoke. "With this rude instrument the ground is merely 
scratched over about three inches in depth, and yet the soil 
yields marvelously. The scythe, the cradle or the sickle, 
even, are unknown in some places, with the hoe, or any 
other common implement of husbandry. Reapers and 
threshing machines are not even dreamed of in some iso- 
lated instances ; but they have been introduced in many of 
the states of the republic. Here is a rare chance for our 
agricultural implement manufacturers almost at their doors. 

About one-twelfth of the population of Mazatlan is white, 
and can trace their origin back to their Spanish ancestors. 
Many blondes are seen who are direct descendants of the old 
Castilians. In this city there are several wealthy merchants, 
of different nations, who import goods largely from Europe, 
many of which we have mentioned already. There are also 
Mexican capitalists who have extensive ranches and hacien- 
das in the country, even one hundred miles back in the in- 
terior, and pass a part of their time in town. English and 
German goods seem to be most used, and generally in de- 
mand; also French brandies and wines; but few articles man- 
ufactured in the United States are shipped into any of the 
Mexican ports on the Pacific, although an extensive trade 
with ISTew York, Philadelphia, and Boston is springing up 
by vessels and is landed at the ports on the eastern coast or 
Gulf of Mexico. On the completion of the Texas and Pacific 



114 - 

and other railroads connecting with the east, a large trade 
will be established with the large eastern cities of the United 
States. 

The principal business houses are engaged in both a whole- 
sale and retail trade, dividing their stores into two depart- 
ments. The principal buildings are the custom-house, a new 
church, muuicipalidad or city hall, containing court-rooms, 
etc. ; Cuartel de Artilleria or barracks for the military, a 
cotton factory, gas works, and the hotels "Iturbide" and 
"Nacional." 

Some trade has been carried on with San Francisco; in 
fact, much more than is suspected by many of our merchants. 
Two iron foundries are located here that have considerable 
trade. 

Rosario. 

The town has 6,000 inhabitants and takes its name from 
the Rosario mines in the vicinity. These mines are some of 
the oldest in the republic, and have produced an immense 
treasure for the owners. The shafts are now full of water. 
The Tajo mine by its richness is a great source of wealth to 
the town. This town is a place of considerable importance, 
and at one time was the depot of merchandise of Mazatlan. 
The merchants resorted to it to purchase their stock of goods 
and dispose of produce. It was the residence of the Com- 
missary General of the state, and others high in official au- 
thority. The streets are narrow but well paved, and the 
houses built principally of stone. The town is located in a 
ravine, and much confined. The Rosario River, a small 
stream, runs below the town and empties into the Pacific a 
few miles further below. This stream is navigable for 
canoes from Rosario, by which people frequently go to Ma- 
zatlan, the distance by water being shorter. This town has 
considerable trade with Durango and some from Guadalajara. 
The distance to Mazatlan is 20 leagues or 60 miles, the Pre- 
sidio of Mazatlan being a kind of half-way house or posta. 
The place is simply a large square surrounded b\^ merchants' 
houses. The distance to Mazatlan Presidio is about 30 
miles. In the northern part of the state the road from Ala- 
mos in Sonora runs over a level plain when it leaves the roll- 
ing hills, and requires no repairing, as the soil is made of 
sandy clay, almost without a pebble, and is perfectly even 
and smooth. The surface is level and excellent for coaches. 
The distance fr®m Alamos to Fuerte is about 35 miles. 



115 

* Culiacan. 

The capital of the state of Sinaloa, Culiacan, is situated 
on a river of the same name, in the midst of a beautiful 
and rich agricultural country. The population of the city 
is about 10,000; its streets, with a great plaza, are laid out 
regularly, and it possesses much inland trade. The archi-' 
tecture and buildings are much the same as at Mazatlan. 

The state government is located here, and during the ses- 
sion of the legislature, it presents a more lively appearance. 
The distance from Mazatlan is about 155 miles, and the 
intervening distance between, over the route b}^ Cosala, is 
rough and mountainous, with but few ranchos on the line of 
travel. Cotton, sugar-cane, corn, beans, and rice, and vege- 
tables of various kinds, and fruits common to this climate 
and, a low latitude, are grown in great abundance in the 
vicinity. There are also some mines in the neighborhood. 
Coffee is also raised in the state, and brings from 30 to 40 
cents per pound. The importation of coffee has at times 
been forbidden, in order to develop this industry in the 
state. 

There is a cotton factory in Culiacan, owned by Redo, 
who resides in the same town, and is one of the principal 
capitalists. A stage road runs from Alamos, in Sonora, to 
Mazatlan — a five days' trip — also to Culiacan, as before 
stated. 

There is also a mint in Culiacan, The principal business 
houses are, Redo, Valadez, O. Salmon, Robert R. Symon 
& Co., and Angel Urrea. Considerable business is trans- 
acted here. The road, after leaving Alamos, which is 
mountainous, or a rolling region, becomes almost level as it 
goes south to Fuerte, and passes down the interior about 60 
miles from the coast, through the same level couutry,to Mazat- 
lan. It also passes down a valley in the interior, beyond the 
mountains east of the former road, to Culiacan, over a very 
level road. 

The Presidio of Mazatlan is located on the road to Ro- 
sario, and was formerly the principal place of residence for 
the merchants and custom house officers, who removed to 
Mazatlan, and left it almost deserted, with the exception 
of a large cotton factory which is there, owned by Eche- 
gureu & Co., of Mazatlan; and besides the operatives, the 
town has but few inhabitants. 

The ladies of Culiacan are truly celebrated for their fair 
complexion, graceful forms, and modest demeanor. They 



116 

are very fond of music and dancing, and play very skillfully 
on the harp, and are, withal, as intelligent and captivating 
as any of the famous beauties of the republic'. On the road 
to Culiacan from Fuerte are situated Sinaloa, and Mocorito, 
and La Muerito. 

Cosala. 

The town of Cosala is situated about 60 miles from Culi- 
acan, to the south-east, and nearly 100 miles from Mazatlan. 
The town extends over nearly as much ground as the latter; 
but it is more interspersed with flower-gardens and small 
orchards. The town is well built; but the streets are some- 
what irregular. The number of inhabitants reaches 5,000. 
Cosala is a mining district. Within about 20 miles of the 
town, is located the Guadalupe mine, which is perfectly dry, 
and at a good elevation from the plain. 

The mines of Copala, Panucho, San Dimas, and San Igna- 
cio are the principal ones located in the vicinity. The 
Saragossa mine is situated north-east from Mazatlan and 
north of Cosala. This mine is celebrated for its beautiful 
specimens of virgin silver. 

In this town, a peculiar disease that is attributed to the 
water used exists, and is called " buche," and is known 
with us as goitre, or swelled neck. One traveler describes 
its unfortunate inhabitants as looking like pelicans. 

From Cosala to foot of mountains, the distance is 15 
miles due east. Santa Ana, a small rancho, and some 
others, are located on the road. There are some six mines 
near, bearing silver and magistral, and about one and a half 
miles from the town, the celebrated Golconda gold mine. 

The principal business of the state is mining, grazing, and 
the raising of herds of cattle, horses, mules, sheep, etc., al- 
though the agricultural productions are considerable. The 
mines of the state produce a large revenue. The Xocihuis- 
tita mine, situated near Eosario, was bonded for three months 
at $60,000, and the parties who had bonded it refused to 
renew the bond. In a short time afterward the owners sold 
a one-half interest for $500,000 to American capitalists of 
San Francisco, who are now taking out from $50,000 to 
$60,000 per month. Some ladies at Mazatlan were the 
owners. Estacata is another old mine near Cosala that was 
once extremely rich. Tradition says that its owners were 
so rich and realized such fortunes from its possession that 
they used to lay down silver bricks for their ladies to tread 



117 

upon ou their way to church, and then take them up again by 
their servants — a piece of extravagant gallantry somewhat un- 
heard of, even among the descendants of the Moctezumas. 
Some of the mines of Mexico are worked in what we would 
term an extravagant manner. The shafts in some instances 
are walled with timbers that are placed there for their im- 
perishable qualities, and often the wood selected is of the 
most valuable character, and being the nearest at hand is used 
with a prodigal hand. One old mine, we are told by a gen- 
tleman who explored it, to which he gave the name of the old 
San Job6 mine, was literally lined with ebony. He showed 
us a piece of this wood which he extracted from the mine, 
and had made into a rough cane. The timbers were as 
sound almost as when they were placed in the mine, and 
were laid one upon the other along the walls of the shaft, and 
some 15 to 20 feet in length. The origin of the mine was 
unknown, and the mouth of the shaft had fallen in, covering 
it up entirely until another drift from a mine near it in search 
of a vein of ore was run until they came to the ebony walls 
of the shaft of the old mine. It was cleaned out — rubbish, 
etc., removed — and found to be very rich. The ebony alone 
would be worth a small fortune in this country. The haci- 
enda of La Labor, owned by the Laveagas, is situated about 
four miles from San Ignacio and contains 40,000 acres, about 
one-third of which can be cultivated. Sugar-cane, wheat, 
corn, and other productions have been raised upon its arable 
lands. It is located on the San Ignacio River, and the soil 
is very fertile. 

Mining Districts and Mines of Sinaloa. 

Rosario District. — The most important mine of this dis- 
trict is the celebrated Taj o mine, which is the second best 
producing mine in the state, and is located in a rolling 
country on the bank of the Rosario River. The depth 
reached two years ago was 1,200 feet, when Mr. Geo. S. 
Montgomery, of this city, visited it, and we herewith give 
his representation of the mines of this district, and some 
others. 

This mine produces fair milling ore, with 60 per cent, 
gold; the balance, silver. The vein is six feet wide, until 
a bonanza is reached, that widens out the vein to about 100 
feet. They were then taking out ore in a bonanza that 
assayed, on an average, {§5120 per ton, and ran sometimes in 
first-class ore up to $1,000. This mine is owned by Mr. 



118 

Bradbury, of Oakland, and Mr. Kelly and other merchants 
of Mazatlan. This is one of the best equipped mines in the 
state. One stamp-mill of 30 stamps was working the ore, 
and since, a 20-stamp mill has been added. The 30-stamp 
mill was then working 40 tons per day, which, with the 20- 
stamp mill now, is working about 60 to 70 tons per day. 
This mine is supporting about 6,000 population. There are 
other mines in this district of minor importance. The dis- 
tance to Mazatlan is about 80 miles, in a north-westerly di- 
rection. 

Plomosas District. — The principal mine is the Plomo- 
sa, located in this district near the border of Durango, and 
is owned by a Mazatlan Company, with the controlling in- 
terest in the hands of merchants of that city. The mine is 
valued at $1,200,000, and is divided into 24 shares, the 
usual number in Mexican mines. Mr. La Madrid was the 
former owner. The depth of the mine is over 800 feet; 
width of vein, 20 to 25 feet, well defined and apparently 
permanent. This mine has paid from the start, although 
the ore is somewhat rebelhous, which could not be worked 
as easily as within the last year. The ores carried galena 
and zinc. The average assay was about $80 to $90 jDcr ton, 
and is worked by a 20-stamp mill at the mine. This district 
is about 120 miles south-east from Mazatlan. 

The Abundancia mine, in Plomosas, is situated in the gap 
which descends from the rancheria of Plomositas in a pre- 
cipituous decline towards the northeast. The mountain on 
which the works are established, as well as the neighboring 
one of the Potrero Las Escaleras and El Arco, are of strati- 
fied rock, affected by metamorphism, and repose on the dyo- 
ritic formation in this locality. The aspect of all this zone, 
from the decline of the ground, from the elevated central 
table, is of a verj^ favorable geological character for ores. 

The Abundancia metaliferous lode detaches itself In part 
from the mountain that incloses it in a compact and elevated 
cliff, which has been prospected in great part by the ancients. 
The broad-vein prospect shows a horizontal breadth of at 
least ten metres. It is to be noted that where the matrix is 
found to be more quartzified are seen the best or more 
abundant ores, and as soon as the limestone aspect appears 
in small veins it seems that galena follows it, but without 
the concise relation taking place. I cannot consider the 
Abundancia lode as being a vein, properly so called, nor as 
an altogether irregular lode, for there appears a transition 
between both in its character. 



119 

The situation of the cliff above the adit is recognizable by 
the old shafts which communicate with the interior. It can 
be perceived from the pillars and some of the intervals that 
the ancients worked through means of a regular alloy, and 
the extent of these workings indicate the considerable quan- 
tities of ores that they extracted. Up to December 21st, 
1881, the mine had yielded 27,854 cargas of different ores, 
containing, as per mining assay, 332,474 ounces of silver, 
averaging about 12.15-100 ouuces per extracted carga. Of 
these, 554, averaging 65 ounces alloy, which has been ex- 
ported, corresponding to two ]Der cent, of the total in weight, 
and 10.08-100 in value. — Extract from Bejoori of Pedro L. 
Mouray on the Plomosas La Abiindancia Mines. 

The Jociiistita Mine. 

{From a Beport by Wm. Ashburner, M. M, May 24,, 1880.) 
" The mining property known as the ' l!^egociacion Mineria 
de Jocuistita' is situated in the San Ignacio mining dis- 
trict, State of Siualoa, Mexico, about 100 miles northerly 
from the port of Mazatlan. The property includes a group 
of nine silver-bearing lodes, lying within a short distance of 
one another, and on all of which work has been done suf- 
ficient to prove their mineral character. Of these, the prin- 
cipal one, so far as demonstrated, is known as "El Carmen." 
A narrow ravine extends northerly from the town of Jocuis- 
tita, down which runs a perennial spring of water, sufficient 
for about ten stamps in the dr^^est time, while during the 
rainy season the supply is indefinitely increased. The mill, 
or ]:iacienda, is situated at the mouth of this ravine, while 
higher up, on the west side and less than half a mile distant, 
is the Carmen vein. This is the only vein now worked upon 
the propert}'', and in it has recently been developed a body 
of ore which exceeds in richness and extent anything pre- 
viously discovered. This vein has an east and west direction, 
running towards a steep outlying flank of the main mountain 
range, which rises abruptly to a height of several hundred 
feet, forming a sharp crest or divide. There apears little 
doubt that the lode will be also found extending to the east, 
upon the opposite side of the ravine, as from what was told 
me, a small shaft about 4J feet deep was sunk 400 feet from 
the mouth of the Carmen mine, from which about one ton 
of ore was extracted, and worked with a milling result of 
266 ounces of silver per ton. Subsequent!}-, this shaft was 
filled, and a tunnel was commenced for the purpose of cross- 



120 

cutting in depth several of the less known veins, so I was 
unable to verify the statement by sampling the shaft. The 
country rock is greenstone porphyry, lying in close proximity 
to a reddish trachyte. The vein dips toward the north at an 
angle of 83 degrees, and in places, particularly where the ore 
bodies are found, there is a well-defined clay wall; its width 
varies from a few feet to 17 and 18 feet. The ore is some- 
what complex, containing frequently, besides sulphuret of 
silver and native silver, zinc, copper, iron and lead, in form 
of sulphurets, associated with a quartz gangue. Notwith- 
standing the presence ot these base metals, the results 
obtained by amalgamation appear to be very satisfactory. 
As the ore comes from the mine it is first assorted by hand, 
richer portion being selected for shipment to Europe, while 
what is called the ordinary ore is sent to the mill. At the 
time of my visit, this shipping ore was estimated as being 
worth, by assay, about 750 ounces per ton, while the mill, 
running only fair samples, was producing nearly or quite 
$1800 per day. The proportion which the shipping ore 
bears to the milling ore bears to the milling ore is very va- 
riable, and depends upon the extent to which the former is 
segregated from the latter in the vein itself. The mine is 
worked by a vertical shaft, eight by ten feet, and which is 
now 133 feet deep. The ore is hoisted to the surface by 
means of a whim. From this shaft drifts 10 metres or 38 
feet apart have been extended westerly on the course of the 
vein; leaving behind, however, in the form ot pillars, most 
of the ore, which is of much lower grade than that recently 
developed in the west end of the mine, and under the 
mountain which rises above it." 

A one-half interest in this mine was purchased for §500,000 
by San Francisco capitalists. The ore of this mine has as- 
sayed about 50-per cent, silver. The vein, at a depth of 
about 250 feet, is 40 feet wide, and contains a small percent- 
age of gold and galena. The mine has been worked for some 
years by Mexicans. The superintendent of the Guadalupe de 
Los Eeyes negotiated the sale of this mine, being the prin- 
cipal owner. They have worked the mine by a 10-stamp 
mill, but are now erecting a 20-stamp mill, and are by the 
old stamp mill producing from $50,000 to $60,000 per mouth. 
The ore is rebellious, and is consequently more expensive to 
work than the ores of many other mines in the State, but 
the large percentage of silver makes it a very profitable mine. 
The distance from this mine to Mazatlanis about 80 miles. 



121 

" The mineral districts of San Iguacio and Cosala, in the 
State of Sinaloa, have in times past given millions of dollars 
yearly in silver and gold. The mines of Cosala, more partic- 
ularly, have and still are, yielding large quantities of the 
precious metal. The ores are very rich and the veins very 
wide. These as a general rule will yield $500 per ton. The 
Guadalupe de los Reyes is surprisingly rich in gold and silver. 
For years this mine has been the source of many quarrels 
and numberless bloody fights between two families who 
claimed its ownership. The mine has been held in posses- 
sion by the Vega family, whose wealth and political power 
enabled them to control not only this very rich mine, but the 
whole State of Sinaloa. The liberal party at length caused 
the poUtical downfall of this family; they did not yield pos- 
session of this mine, however, to its rightful owners. An 
English company once offered Vega for this mine one mil- 
lion dollars, which he refused, saying that he did not want 
any money at that time, and if he did he had only to work 
his mine, and that would yield him any number of millions 
— which was true." — Ghipman's Mineral Resources of North- 
ern Mexico. 

"The district of Panuco is situated in the southern por- 
tion of Sinaloa. In this locality there are several mines; 
these, before the independence of Mexico, belonged to the 
Marquis of Panuco. The Marquis obtained from them 
many millions of dollars in silver. The ores of the richest 
class are argentiferous, and yield from $500 to $600 per ton. 
The ores that are treated by amalgamation (which forms 
the greater portion of the ores found) by the Mexican mode 
of treating them yield $200 per ton. After the death of the 
Marquis, the mines fell into the hands of a merchant of Maz- 
atlan, by the name of Machado. He worked the mines very 
successfully for many years, until his death some 15 years 
ago, since which time his family have alternately worked 
them, squandered the products and ran them in debt, and 
finally abandoned them. 

"A few miles northwest from Panuco, in the State of 
Sinaloa, and distant from the Pacific Coast some 30 miles, 
lies the famous mine of Tajo, situate in a town called Rosario. 
This mine owes its discovery to a herdsman of cattle. One 
day while chasing some wild cattle through the woods, a 
twig of a tree caught the rosary he had suspended to his 
neck and jerked it from him. Not wishing to lose it nor 
the animal he was in pursuit of, he threw oft' his hat to des- 



122 

ignate the spot. Upon his return night overtook him before 
he could find his animal; thereupon he concluded to spend 
the night. He built a fire and waited until morning to look 
for his rosary bv daylight. In lighting his cigarette by the 
coals of his fire he noticed something which glistened in the 
ashes. Upon examination of this substance by his employer 
or master it proved to be pure silver. Excavations were 
made and a splendidly-formed vein was found, rich in silver 
and gold. The mine was worked and regularly opened, and 
for sixty years yielded immense treasures to the owners. 
Upon the expulsion of the Spaniards from the country, the 
mine was left unworked for many years. The church of 
Santo Domingo stands immediately over some of the prin- 
principal workings of the mine, and is now 110 years old. 
The ores of this mine yield an average of ^120 per ton. 
The mine is now worked by an American company, whose 
headquarters are in San Francisco. 

A few miles east from Rosario, in the State of Siualoa, is 
located a mine called Plomosa. This mine was opened and 
worked many years ago to a depth of 250 feet by the Mexi- 
cans, producing while it was worked large amounts of silver. 
The ores gave $250 per ton, A large influx of water sud- 
denly put a stop to operations, since which time nothing has 
been done to place the mine in working condition. It is a 
well-attested fact that the mine was yielding largelj^ at the 
time of its abandonment. Nearly two j^ears ago the mine 
was denounced, and possession given to some Americans, 
who now own it^ 

Northwest from Plomosa but a few miles, and in the 
same State, we find the Mineral of Copala. There are a 
great number of silver-bearing veins found in this locality, 
upon which many mines of good reputation are now being 
worked. Several American companies have erected reduc- 
tion works here, and but for the advent of the French inter- 
vention would have been successfully prosecuting their oper- 
ations. The ores are abundant, and give about $175 per 
ton. 

Distant from the coast of the Pacific 150 miles we find 
the District of Ventanas. At this place some six or seven 
American companies are working, some with success, and 
all with good prospects, according to their respective means 
and skillful or unskillful Management. The lodes are very 
numerous, and all the mines that have been worked gave 
good results. The average yield of the ores may be safely 
calculated to be f 100 per ton. 



123 

The placer of the '• Cauoda cle Bauazagua" is situated 
about 16 leagues southeast of Alamos, in Sonora, on the 
north side of a tributary to the Fuerte Eiver. The placer 
extends for about 12 miles in the canon, and has been worked 
to a considerable extent in the time of the Spaniards. The 
hillsides for all this distance have been perforated in many 
places, and shafts sunk and drifts run. Some of the works 
are recent, but the miners not being acquainted with the 
modes of getting out the water by pumps and flumes, have 
done all their work by washing in wooden bowls, and 
abandoning the shaft on encountering water. At the head 
of the canon drifting has been done to a considerable extent. 
The soil is composed of a red clay and decomposed quartz; 
the ore is worked by arastras. The mountain region of the 
Fuerte is so exceedingly rough and precipitous that no wagon 
road has ever been (or ever will be) made through it. All 
carriage is performed on mules, and a man is better off on 
foot than with an animal under him. 

Mines of the Fuerte. 

From Baneyagua east to Las Garobas is three leagues. 
This is a small place, but gold and silver mining is done 
here to some extent. Four leagues still further east is the 
Real del Rosario, another mining place, owned by Sr. Don 
Bruno Esquessa. The mine is situated on the side of a 
mountain, on the north side of the hacienda, and the dig- 
gings are surface diggings or excavations. The annual rev- 
enue of this mine, in net profits, is $70,000. There are some 
gold placers in the vicinity of Chinipas, about 30 leagues 
north, and the inhabitants are engaged in washing gold. 

Palmarejo is a silver mine, distant about six leagues from 
Chinipas. It is worked by Don Miguel Urea of Alamos. 
This mine is worked on a more extensive scale than any in 
this section of the country. There are 20,000 ounces of sil- 
ver taken out of it monthl}'. The ore is taken out by im- 
provised forcing machinery. A four-stamp mill is run by 
water-power to reduce the ore. Abundance of water and 
timber is adjacent; the roughness of the country compels 
the owner to carry the ore on mules' backs for nine miles to 
the mill site. 

Chois is situated in the valley of the stream of the same 
name, which empties into the Fuerte Eiver. Its situation is 
very beautiful, being on a fine plain, with a very pretty view. 
This town is the natural outlet for all the mines of that coun- 



124 

try in the northern part of Sinaloa. and is one of the richest 
mineral districts of Mexico. Its situation at the base of the 
mountains, its easy access by good roads from the farms and 
ranches of the lower valley, and its facility for communica- 
tion with the Gulf, must make it an important place for trade 
as well as industry. The whole surrounding country is rich 
in gold placers, and even the spot on which Chois stands 
furnishes gold by washing the soil. All the streams in the 
neighborhood show the color on washing the loose soil of the 
banks. The town is about four miles from the junction of 
the stream with the Fuerte Eiver. 

Las Iglesias is located four leagues up the Chois, where, 
the stream makes a bend, inclosing a mesa, or table land, of 
some 25 acres, which is perforated with shafts from 15 to 20 
feet in depth, where gold has been sought after. There is 
plenty of it, and the dirt all pays alike, but the gold is so fine 
that the natives cannot save it. Above Las IglesiaSj one league 
on the south side of the river, the Arroj^o Sabina, or Cypress 
creek, is encountered, which runs a course due north; follow- 
ing it for four leagues, a branch of the same stream, called 
Los Pillos, is reached, where the valley bed forms a natural 
reservoir of waters. This stream heads, in an easterly direc- 
tion, toward a high mountain, ranging north and south, A 
rich placer is also located here, which has been slightly 
worked by Indians. Placers have been found also on the 
Bayemene creek and at Yucorati. At this latter place are 
old Spanish diggings, the ruins of their works showing that 
here has once been a large population of gold-seekers. The 
country adjacent is perforated with shafts and drifts. The 
quicksands in the bed of the creek have hitherto prevented 
miners from reaching the ledge where the gold may be 
found. 

The Mount Serat mine is located in the vicinity of Re- 
alito, one league distant. This is a famous silver mine, and 
is owned and worked by Sr. Don Juan Migloria. Its eleva- 
tion on a high mountain makes it a very prominent object. 
Mount Serat has been extensively worked, and all around it, 
in the mountains, shafts have been sunk and drifts run. It 
is still worked on a small scale. Some of the most prom- 
inent mines are Todos Santos, All Saints Mine, San Jose and 
Santa Catarina. 

The gold placers of Baconbirito are located at the junction 
of the tributaries of the Sinaloa River. The soil is appar- 
ently full of gold, and extends over a horseshoe bend of the 
river tor some miles. ' The gold is coarse, and pays f 18 per 



125 

ounce. Many shafts have been sunk here; water and timber 
are in abundance. These placers have been considerably 
worked, and are undoubtedly not exhausted. 

" The Candelaria mine is located nine miles northeast of 
the town of Rosario, Sinaloa, and is on the same belt as the 
celebrated Tajo mine — distant therefrom only some three 
leagues. The mining location embraces 2400 feet in length, 
by 600 in width. The mine was opened in 1860, and the 
only explorations consist of a shaft sunk to the depth of 100 
feet, and the mine being filled water, I was unable to exam- 
ine it. Samples of ore from the pillars yielded from f 58 17 
per ton to 1583 20, Assay. In the process of sinking 100 
feet and the stopes from the same, $35,000 was abstracted 
from the ore. The width of the vein is said to be from five 
to six feet, The conditions for cheap and econominal work 
are very favorable — both wood and water, the former of the 
very best quality — being close at hand." — Thomas Price's 
Report on said Mine, Ajml 14-th, 1881. 

The San Francisco mine belongs to the family of Maria, 
and is located in the northwestern part of Sinaloa, upon the 
northern spur of the Chihuahua range of the Sierra Madre, 
about midway on the mountain, at an elevation of about 600 
feet above the plain of that region. The mine is an old one, 
developed by shafts, with a depth of about 185 feet in the 
deepest shaft. The veins are numerous, cropping out of the 
mountain side, and can be readily traced. 

The Yeta Madre as about three feet wide, carrying free 
gold and some silver. From $40 to $500 is produced from 
the ore upon assays made by a competent expert. The 
average assay is said to be about $70 or $80. We are also 
informed by an engineer who examined the property, to 
whom we are indebted for the foregoing, that the mine is 
now worked by Mexicans, with some six or seven arastras. 
Besides the foregoing, a very rich gold mine has been dis- 
covered near San Ignacio, in this State. 

The Panuco District — This district possesses some very 
rich mines. The Panuco mines, especially, have lately been 
favorably reported upon by a mining engineer sent from San 
Francisco, and the mines have been bonded, with a view to 
to purchase and development. Dr. Holland has this report 
in his possession, and we are informed by him that the gen- 
tlemen interested are perfectly satisfied, and are assured that 
they have made not only a safe but profitable investment. 
]S"ot having the data at hand we are not able to give the ex- 



126 

act figures of the assay and the report is omitted, but we 
present in lieu thereof the following : 

From a report by Mark Cornish of Nov, 3, 1881. — The 
Panuco Mining District, situated in the State of Sinaloa, 
Mexico, sixty-five miles from the port of Mazatlan, is sur- 
rounded by good agricultural lands, supplying all kinds of 
produce at the lowest prices. The climate is healthy, the 
temperature ranges from 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and 
the location 2,000 feet above the sea level. Work must have 
been commenced in the different mines of the above mining 
district as far back as the beginning of last century, because 
about fifty years later an Indian by the name of Yizcarra - 
discovered the mine called "Faizan," and out of its profits 
built the churches at Rosario, Concordia, Copala, Panuco and 
Guadalupe, using in their construction hewn stone and cement, 
at an expenditure of over five hundred thousand dollars. 
The silver bullion of this district was at one time the main 
support of the Royal Treasury at Rosario, where there was 
an ofiice for the collection of revenue to be paid to the Spanish 
Crown, on all bullion extracted from the mines. The follow- 
ing are the names of the mines of the district: "Animas 
Viejas," Faizan, S'ta Eduviges, Estufa, Covalenga, Cuevillas, 
Bomba, Chinanate, Nieves, Refugio, Amaloton Burrion, Ani- 
mas Nueves, Faizanito, Santa Rosa, Fronteras, Las Remedias, 
Cuevillas de Charcas, Palo Blanco, Tiempo, Toro, Piojo, 
Dolores, and San Cayetano, and may be a few more of which 
we don't remember the names at present. Along the Panuco 
mine there are still six mills in a ruined state. " The San 
ISTicolas" mill, which must have cost a good deal over $200,000, 
has, during six or eight months of the year, a water power of 
150 horses. 

The Panuco property also comprises 13 square leagues of the 
land surrounding the mining district, with plenty of water, 
abundant pasturage, and covered with' pine, oak, and other 
kinds of timber. 

We know but very little of the workings of these mines in 
olden times. By tradition we know of a Mr. Zambrano, who 
worked some of the Panuco mines at the end of the last cen- 
tury. This gentleman became famous for having erected, in 
Durango, a palatial mansion, covering a block 600 feet long 
by 400 feet wide, which is used as a capitol of the State Gov- 
ernment at the present time. But what made him world- 
renowned was his extravagance in constructing the railing of 
all the balconies of solid silver. But the King ordered him 
to have them taken down, as, in the order, he said, that even 



127 

his Royal Majesty would not permit himself to display such 
mao;nificence. 

Regarding the workings of the present century, we know 
that a Mr. Remus, whose heirs reside in the city of Guada- 
lajara, worked, from 1820 to 1830, the "Santa Eduviges" and 
" Santa Rosa " claims, with very satisfactory results. Mr. 
Remus conveyed some of these mines to Mr. Ornezagay, of 
Durango, and this last one to Messrs. Flores & Gadea, of Tepie. 
In the year 1844 they were conveyed to Mr. Juan P. Machado, 
who also *bonght several other claims, intending to develop 
more extensively the mining industry of the district. He 
worked these mines until he died, in 1848. The other mines 
have been worked by various parties, with excellent results. 
The average assays from the "Faizan" mine pay $70 per ton, 
which is the same as in the "Animas," " Santa Rosa," " Santa 
Eduviges," " Faizanito," " Fronteras " and " Mina Grande " 
mines. Rock has been taken out from the Faizan mine 
which assayed as high as $2,000 per ton, but there is not 
enough of it. The "Estufa" mine turns out a large amount 
of ore, but the assays don't average over $40 per ton. The 
ores from almost all the Panuco mines are free milling, with 
the exception of those of the " Covalenga." The Panuco 
mines generally have but little water, and the greatest depth 
attained in any of them is not more than 600 feet. 

From a report by Mr. Frederic "Weidner, Mining Engineer, 
on July loth, 1881. — The gold mine " La Union " or Boles 
mine was worked during the first decade of this century; and 
whilst there is no official record of what it yielded, the unani- 
mous testimony of surviving contemporaneous residents attest 
the fact that the mine was very rich, and only abandoned in 
consequence of the war of independence. A few years ago 
it was re-located and worked for a while by parties without 
means enough, who conveyed it to its present owners, viz.: 
Messrs. Maxemin Hermanos, Roman and Adelaide Osund, 
and successors of C, Fairbanks, who entered into legal pos- 
session in ISTovember last (1881), recording it under the name 
of " Union Mine." The mine is situated in the district of 
Mazatlan, 55 miles N.E. of this port (Mazatlan), on the west- 
ern slope of a mountain range forming one of the first steppes 
of the Sierra Madre, near the source of the Nacaral and Guay- 
mas creeks, which flow through the ravine called the San 
Juan, and empty into the Mazatlan river. Its summit rears 
200 feet above the entrance to the mine, at an elevation of 
1,550 feet above the sea, thus insuring a temperate, agreeable 
and healthful climate. The mine is situated in the heart of a 
forest of valuable timber, such as venadillo, mora, tig tree, 



128 

apomo, and other species, affording an inexhaustible supply 
for building and fuel. Within a radius of a few miles, on 
both banks of the Mazatlan river, there are ranches, farms, 
and grazing fields, which furnish supplies at reasonable prices. 
For instance: corn at $5.00 per carga (300 lbs.) ; beans, $3.00 ; 
cattle, $10.00 per head. Good labor for the mine and carriers 
for precious metals are readily secured at the neighboring 
town of La IToria. 

The mountain containing the ledges ot the Boles mine is 
granite, the same as the surrounding region. This kind of 
rock has the property here of decomposing or crumbling 
easily ; on the surface forming a peculiar gravel, called by the 
native Indians "tucurubay," which is easily reduced by the point 
of the bar or " talacha ;" but at a depth of 3 or 4 metres this 
same rock is so hard and solid that excavations of six or more 
metres in extent may be cut out, unsupported by timber and 
without fear of caving in. A considerable number of veins 
are traceable on the out-croppings. The only ones which 
have been worked heretofore are two, both quite irregular 
and varying in width and depth. The width ranges from 1 to 
5 feet. The body of the ledge is composed almost exclusively 
of white, compact quartz, with a bluish tinge, containing more 
or less gold ; it being a noticeable fact that the gold occurs 
here disseminated in invisibly small particles, foliated, or in 
round or angular masses, varying from fine powder to grains 
like rice. In some eyes and threads of the vein the quartz is 
accompanied by pyrites of iron (commonly called "bronce 
amarillo"), and talc of a dark cloudy green hue, resembling 
sometimes slate of chlorite, again serpentine, and in these 
cases these ores are always auriferous, and contain from twice 
to four times as much metal as the pure quartz. In addition 
to this auriferous ore, properly so called, there are found in 
the lower levels pockets of auri-argentiferous ore, containing 
antimonial sulphuret of lead, with a great deal of gold and 
some silver. 

The owners of the mine are now building a new and im- 
proved mill, costing $5,000, in the same ravine which comes 
down from the mine at only 600 or 800 paces from the shaft. 
The machinery comprises a steam engine (8 x 16), 18-horse 
power, driving 5-starap mill of 650 lbs., an apron, concentrator, 
Frue patent, and other auxiliary appliances. The yield by 
the arrastra from 1,204 cargas of the ore was $12,217.60, or 
over $10.00 per carga. 

La Joya Mining District. — The group of mines comprised 
within the boundaries of the "La Joya" property are known 
as the " Kefugio" or " S'ta Eduviges," the "San Juan," the 



129 

"Gloria," the "Kosario," the "Hilos," the "Relis," the "Yir- 
ginia " and the "San Eugenio" mines. They are situated in 
the mining district of La Joya, prefecture of Sinaloa, State of 
Sinaloa, and distant about 120 miles from Culiacan, capital of 
the State, or 60 miles from the city of Sinaloa, and 90 miles 
from Plaza Colorado, a safe port in the Gulf of California, 
tbrono:h which all high grade ores from the mmes are ex- 
ported, and where mining machinery and materials destined 
for La Joya are regularly landed. The climate is exceedingly 
healthy, the temperature ranging from 60° to 75° Fahrenheit. 
Grain and produce abound in the neighborhood, at very mod- 
erate prices, the property being located within 4 leagues (10 
miles) of the best agricultural lands in the country. 

The width of the veins (of the above property) vary some- 
what in the different mines. Thus the " S'ta Eduviges " or 
"Eefugio" averages from 7 to 13 feet; the "San Juan," 13 
feet ; the " Gloria," from 6 to 14 feet, and the " Kosario " 
more than the " Refugio." The veins are encased between 
good solid walls of dioritic porphyry intercepted by crystal- 
lized poryhyry, in small quantities, combined with decom- 
posed granite in large masses. Along the entire length of 
the location numberless small veins crop out and traverse the 
ground in different directions, but no evidence is shown that 
the main lodes are broken anywhere upon the surface. Mr. 
Munoz lays great stress upon the fact that the geological 
formation of this district favors the production of extensive 
bodies of rich ores. He decribes the same as appertaining > 
to the trappeanic period, which is of a porphyritic nature, 
showing a greater ejection of precious metals than other 
metalliferous zones. 

The two most interesting mines are the " S'ta Eduviges" and 
" Rosario." They have been somewhat extensively opened 
and much valuable ore taken out of them, and still it is easily 
shown that their mineral wealth is merely skimmed, as the 
average depth of the works does not exceed 420 feet. At this 
depth the veins are more defined, and the ore chutes become 
more regular and permanent, and the ore averages a greater 
richness than nearer the surface. 

Mexicans never touch a vein which does not pay from its 
very surface, and then they only follow the ore body encoun- 
tered, until the excavations become dangerous or expensive 
from want of ventilation or drainage. iNo dead work of any 
consequence is ever done. Perpendicular or hoisting shafts 
are seldom met with m any mining district ; no explorations 
underground are undertaken to any extent, with a view to 
discover ore chutes other than the one originally followed in t^".; 



130 

same vein. N"o matter what treasures a mine may contain in 
its lower levels, no cross-cuts are made, and it is simply by 
accident that more than one ore body is developed in a single 
vein. And then how often do we see a mine with many 
mouths or openings, started one after the ether, abandoned as 
the ore body in the previous excavation would pinch or break 
off, or as water would be encountered. 

The ores contain mainly silver with a small percentage of 
gold. The expense of milling does not exceed $1.31 per carga 
of 300 lbs,, including freightage from the mine. The yield 
varies according to the quality of the ores, but only such ores 
are worked as assay a minimum of 40 ounces of silver to the 
ton, of which there are always great quantities. 

There is never any scarcity of workmen. The Barreteros 
or drill-men get $1.00 per diem, and the same wages are 
paid to timberers. Tlie ore carriers get 75 cents per day, and 
all other common laborers at the mill only 50 cents for 10 
hours' work. The workmen are paid weekly, and receive 75 
per cent, of their wages in merchandise and 25 per cent, in 
coin. The present owners keep a store for the purpose, and 
reap a benefit of 75 per cent, upon their investment. The 
ores exported, for account of Messr. Martinez de Castro, show 
a total' of 8,818 sacks, weighing, net, 1,263,447 lbs. The same 
foot up a gross yield of £55,771 (sterling), 8s., 3d., and equal 
to about $269,931.64. 

San Feancisco, May 15th, 1882. 

From a report of Mr. J. C. Turner, made on Feb. 12th, 
1881, to the Mexican Exploring and Mining Syndicate, we 
quote the following : — The Cuatro Senores mine is situated 
in Copala mining district, judicial district of Concordia, 65 
miles from the port of Mazatlan. Work was first commenced 
on this mine August, 1868, and has since been carried for- 
ward, and it has never failed to yield ore in paying quantities. 
The ledge crops out about 600 feet below the apex of a very 
high mountain, elevation being 6,000 feet above sea level. The 
croppings can be easily traced for a distance of 4,000 feet. 
A tunnel was run in from a point 200 feet below the croppings, 
cutting the ore vein at a distance of 300 feet. At this point 
the ledge was found to be dipping at an angle of 60° to the 
north, the course of the vein being east and west. At the 
point where the ore was first encountered in the tunnel, it 
was extracted by opening a large chamber, which is still being 
continued, and at the present time extends in length on a line 
with the vein 300 feet, following the foot wall on the south 
side across the vein for a distance of 170 feet, with ore still in 



131 

the face and no appearance of any hanging wall as yet. The 
highest place of the chamber or stope is TO feet above the 
tunnel, through the entire face of the slope. The vein looks 
well and yields large quantities of high grade ore. The ore 
has run from $50 to $364 per ton. An eight-stamp mill is 
reducing the ore on the Panuco river at the rate of ten tons 
per day. The mill is about one and a half miles from the 
mine, and the ore is transported by pack mules from the mine. 
This mine is one of the valuable properties of Sinaloa, and is 
mostly owned by Mexicans residing in Mazatlan. 

The Nuestra Beiiores mine is located north-east of Cosala, 
on the Elota Kiveu, near the source, and almost on the 
boundary line, and is owned by Mauricio La Madrid, and is 
about 20 miles from Cosala. This mine contains two classes 
of ore; one being lead and silver, while the other is free 
milling silver ore. The depth attained is about 200 feet. 
The lejjd-bearing ore assays about $80 per ton, and the freje- 
milling ore nearly $120, on an average. This mine is 
reported to have reached a " bonanza " that assays as high 
as $1,000 per ton. An attempt was lately made to purchase 
this mine for $500,000, an expert having been sent to exam- 
ine the property, who reported very favorably upon it. A 
small, four-stamp prospecting mill, for the purpose of pros- 
pecting the mine, has been reducing the ore, and the result 
is said to have been very satisfactory. This is an old mine, 
and very celebrated; and Mr. Ward tells us that its former 
owner, Don Francisco Iriarte, at one time (in 1825) refused 
an offer of $1,000,000 for the privilege of working this mine 
for three years, by a foreign association. The mine is free 
from water, and situated at a considerable elevation above 
the plain. It contains a vein of gold of considerable 
breadth, and its former reputation was fabulous. 

Barreteras Mine. — This mine is celebrated. The town 
of Cosala was built up by it, and a church founded upon its 
productions. The mine has produced many bonanzas, 
yielding rich results. The character of the ore is native 
silver. The mine is developed by a shaft of 500 feet in 
depth, and by a tunnel over 1100 feet in length, from the 
side of the mountain into the heart of the vein. The mine 
is located at the summit of the mountain, in the Sierra 
Madre, distant from Cosala about six miles west. The view 
is grand from this point, extending over a hundred miles, as 
far as the eye can reach, over mountain-tops. The vein is 
about two feet in ore deposits. It reaches only six or eight 
inches with seams of native silver, that are extracted by the 



182 

barraton, or a chisel. The pockets reach, sometimes, 20 or 
30 feet along the vein at irregular distances. The mine is 
owned and worked by Mexicans, The character of the rock 
surrounding the vein is a granite formation, easily worked. 
The ore is smelted by furnaces. The ore is almost virgin 
silver, as at Batopilas. The lower levels are filled with 
water. 

At one extremity of the district of Cosala is found a great 
number of gold and silver bearing quartz mines that are said 
to be very rich. The ore carrying gold is mostly free mill- 
ing, and the mines have yielded very largely in the past. 
They have been worked extensively by natives and Span- 
iards; but on reaching water, could not go any farther, in 
the absence of machinery, and the mines were consequently 
abandoned, after a large expenditure of capital upon them. 
Another cause of abandonment was continual revolutions, or 
organized robbery, that forced the owners to pay a tribute 
on their wealth, and at last drove them away; and either 
fearing to return, or finding lucrative employment and 
mines elsewhere, the mines, consequently, became entirely 
abandoned and filled with water. 

There are many of these old mines closely grouped to- 
gether that are not adjacent to any settlements, but in the 
midst of one of the wildest regions of the mountains, that 
is hardly ever entered, save in the search for lost cattle. 
A good wagon-road may be constructed from these mines 
to the river, and reach a railroad that is to be built, passing 
within 15 miles of the mines. Wood is abundant, and water 
sufficient to run an ordinary mill the year round. 

There are quite a number of extensive veins of rich gold 
and silver bearing ores in this region that have yielded 
largely wherever they have been worked, within a radius 
of 12 miles, and all contain ores easy of reduction. 

To the east of this locality is located another rich mineral 
region, called Vetillas, from the large number of rich veins 
that have been found in the neighborhood. The ores are 
more uneven and rebellious; bat the location is good, with 
a perpetual stream passing through the district and adjacent 
to the location of the mines. The mountains are of high 
elevation, with hard-wood trees covering their sides that 
would be valuable for timbering the mines, etc. Here are 
located furnaces for smelting the ores, which were aban- 
doned with the mines by the former owners. 

The celebrated Guadalupe de Los Reyes mine is located 
within about 24 miles of these antiquated haciendas, north- 



133 

east, and other mines that are being worked with good 
results. This is an old mining region, that was worked by 
Spaniards under the Spanish regime; but the owners were 
obliged to flee in the war for independence. The ruins of 
ancient arastras and furnaces are numerous, and prove the 
locality to have been extensively worked. These mines 
have not been worked for about 70 years. The old mill-site 
could be restored, and the mines reopened, providing an ex- 
pert should deem the enterprise profitable. The arastras 
were run by water power, and the veins opened as close as 
possible to the stream, which naturally filled the shafts with 
water. One of these old mines was called Mina de Plata. 
The residents nearest to these mines report that they were 
very rich, and contained bonanzas. 

The adjacent river bottoms are planted with orange, lime, 
and plantain trees in different places, with other tropical 
fruits. 

A wagon-road can be constructed from this point to Ma- 
zatlan, at a small cost, passing through or near large ranchos 
that are cultivated extensively, producing corn, beans, sugar- 
cane, and other productions. This region is located north 
from Mazatlan, distant about 70 miles. 

The Palmarajo is another old district; also, the ancient 
mining district situated in the northern part of the State 
near the boundary line of Sonora, called the De Chois and 
Ycora districts, that were, at one time, extensively worked, 
and contains some good mines; also, the celebrated ancient 
mining district of ISan Jose de Gracias, which is located in 
the midst of an almost inaccessible mountainous region, in 
the northern part of the State. Since their abandonment 
years ago, they have scarcely been worked but by gambu- 
cinos. This region formerly had a fabulous reputation. 



tdHi 



CHIHUAHUA. 



CHAPTER I. 
General Description. 

The State of Chihuahua is bounded on the west and south 
by Sonora, west by Sinaloa, on the north by Kew Mexico 
and Texas, and on the north-east by Texas along the Rio 
Grande, and on the south by Sinaloa and Durango, and on 
the east by Coahuila. The area of the State extends over 
100,000 square miles, with a sparse population of about 
190,000. 

The state is divided into 18 cantons or departments, as 
follows: Iturbide, Aldama, Abasolo, Victorio, Rosales, 
Meoqui, Morelos, Bravos, Hidalgo, Allende, Camargo, Balleza, 
Jimenez, Guerrero, Galeana, Rayon, Matamoras, and Ar- 
teaga. 

The great plateau west of the Rio Grande region consists 
of undulating prairies, with here and there a conical shaped 
hill, and extends to the Sierra Madre mountains on the 
west and south-west. There are some depressions in the 
plains which, if opened, would supply water. Then we 
have the large body of water south-west of El Paso, known 
as Lake Guzman, and the River Mimbres. This river rises 
in the Rocky Mountains, in ISTew Mexico, and, after cours- 
ing through the plateau, discharges itself when full into 
Lake Guzman. It seldom reaches the lake, however, ita 
waters being absorbed or lost iu the sandy plains. Its 
sources have never been traced out, as far as known. It 
'must flow about 130 miles, when full. 

Lake Guzman, during the wet season, is about 30 miles 
long and from five to six miles wide, and seldom dries out 
entirely, although it is almost surrounded by sterile tracts 
of laud covered with sand plains and alkali, interspersed 
with sand-hills. It is located about 60 miles south-west of 
El Paso, more in a westerly direction. These sand plains 
extend the most of this distance, after leaving the Rio 
Grande region, until the neighboring lands of the lake are 
reached. 

134 



135 

Tli« whole water system of the state embraces, besides Lake 
Guzman, four other small lakes or pools, called Maria, Cande- 
laria, St. Martin, and Patos, and are all located north of the 
central part of the state, in depressions of the table lands, 
with the exceptioii of lakes St. Martin and Candelaria, nearer 
the center and sonth and south-west of the sand plains. In 
the mountain ranges and spurs of the Sierra which are cut 
with deep gorges and canons, and which are located in the 
western, south-western and southern part of the state, there 
are many mines of the precious and useful metals, containing 
gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, tin, saltpeter, bituminous 
coal, and cinnabar. This region is also noted for forest trees 
of great value which cover the mountain sides, especially 
near the water-courses and between the ranges. The Sierra 
Madre range extends along the western boundary of the 
state, and is almost impassable except at the northern and 
western, south-western, and southern, part of the state, 
through the canons of these localities. The Mulatos River, 
sometimes called the Papigochi, which is a branch of the 
Yaqui River in Sonora, rises in the Sierra Madre, south-west 
of Chihuahua City, and flows north-west through a pass in 
tho mountains east of, and near Aribechi in Sonora. The 
tributaries from the neighboring valleys flow into this stream 
(Mulatos) near the pass. The river Buenaventura also rises 
In the Sierra Madre and flows north of the Presidio of Bu- 
enaventura into the small lake or pool of St. Maria, while 
another small stream loses its waters in the table lands near 
the Presidio de Janos, which is connected with a road to 
Bapispe in Sonora on the west, about 40 miles distant. The 
river Carmen rises west of lake St. Martin and empties into 
lake Patos in a northerly direction. South-east of lake 
Patos is located another extensive sand and alkali plain on 
the table lands that reache to the hills bordering on the 
valley of the Rio Grande and the river Conchos, over a terri- 
tory of about 120 miles long and 40 wide. The latter river 
has many tributaries taking their rise in the mountains south 
of the central part of the state, and flows by Santa Rosalia, 
San Pablo, and other towns in a northerly course, with many 
windings, into the Rio Grande at the Presidio del Korte, 
and is about 300 miles long. East and south-east of the riv- 
er Conchos and south of the Rio Grande extends the vast 
desert called "Bolson de Mapimi,'' which embraces all the 
extreme eastern part of the state south of the Rio Grande 
and also a portion of the state of Coahuila on the east. In 
this plain are dried-up lakes, and the whole is completely 



136 

covered up with a vast tract of sand and alkali plains whicln 
are sterile and completely deserted, and entirely destitute of 
water. JSTear the rugged sien-as are mesquite - covered 
plains, but beyond them lies the vast desert of Bolson de 
Mapimi, extending over 250 miles from north to south and 
100 miles in width, through which no traveler ever passes, 
as the road to Durango and Mexico lies to the south-west. 
Thus it will be seen that a large portion of Chihuahua is 
absorbed on the east by the desert lands, and north-east and 
the south-west by mountains and broken regions, the latter 
taking up about one-third of the state, and the former, or 
about one-fourth, is desert wilds. The balance of the region 
on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande to the Gulf of Mex- 
ico is mountainous through Coahuila, JSTew Leon, tmd Ta- 
maulipas, bordering on table lands that are intersected with 
rivers flowing through small valleys into the Rio Grande, 
and is very sparsely settled until the slope toward the gulf is 
reached. 

Oak, pine, ash, and other forest trees are found in great 
abundance in the southern and southwestern portion 
of the state ; wheat, corn, and other cereals are raised on the 
Encinillas Rancho, and at El Sauz, Alamos de Pefia, Ojo 
Caliente, and other localities. • 

Mr. liuxton says that "the State of Chihuahua produces 
gold, silver, copper, iron, saltpetre, and other minerals; but 
it is productive of mineral wealth alone, for the soil is thin 
and poor, and there is everywhere a scarcity of water; but 
it is a paradise for sportsmen. In the sierras and mountains 
are found the black and grizzly bear of the Rocky Mount- 
ains, the latter of which is very abundant in the neighbor- 
hood of Chihuahua. The big horn, or Rocky Mountain 
sheep, and black-tailed deer, the ' cola prieta,' (a large spe- 
cies of fallow deer) a species of pheasant and quail in abund- 
ance, and birds of brilliant plumage are found. Among the 
reptiles are the rattlesnake and copper-head, and scor})ion, the 
latter of which is found all over the republic. The charac- 
teristic shrub of the elevated plains of Chihuahua is the 
mesquite, a species of acacia, which grows to the height of 
10 to 12 feet. The seeds contained in a small pod are used 
by the Apaches to make a kind of bread or cake, which is 
sweet or succulent to the taste. The wood is extremely 
hard and heavy. 

" In Durango and Chihuahua, the ranchos are supplied with 
such simple goods as they require by small traders, resident 
in the capitals of those states, who trade from one village to 
8 



137 

another, with two or three wagons, which, when their goocla 
are sold, they freight with supphes for the cities or mines." 
There are about 200 villages and towns in the state, the 
principal ones being Chihuahua and El Paso del Norte. The 
former is the capital, and is located south of the central 
portion of the state, about 230 miles from El Paso del Norte 
and El Paso Texas on the Rio Grande. 

Soil, Productions, and Grazing. 

The soil is fertile, especially on the water courses between 
the mountain ranges and along the Rio Grande. Outside of 
mining, grazing forms the principal pursuit; though the 
vine, wheat, corn, peas, beans, barley, cotton, and sugar- 
cane, are cultivated to some extent. This is a great grazing 
state, abounding in stock, which are disposed of in Texas 
and Kentucky. Good grazing is found on the table lands in 
many places, where immense herds of stock of all kinds are 
raised: although along the water-courses the best grazing is 
found. Along the Las Casas Graudes, and Conchas, and 
other streams, which almost entirely disappear in the sands 
during the dry season, immense herds of stock are raised. 
In the neighborhood of Chihuahua, about 170 to 180 miles 
south-east of Lake Guzman, are located extensive ranch os. 
One of these is called Rancho Encinilias. This rancho has 
about 300,000 head of cattle, sheep, horses and mules, on its 
grazing lauds. Some agricultural productions are also raised 
in the state on the banks of the streams which are used to 
irrigate the lands. 

The mines of the State constitute almost its sole feature of 
importance, outside of the grazing or raising of stock on the 
fertile table lands and banks of the water-courses. The 
climate of Chihuahua is varied; cold in the winter, and in 
the mountainous districts it reaches the freezing point; and 
snow falls about t.vo feet deep. In the valleys the tempera- 
ture varies from the cool and pleasant in winter to heat 
in the extreme. The climate of the state on the whole can 
be said to be much cooler than either that of Sonora or 
Sinaloa. 



138 

CHAPTER II. 

Chihuahua. 

The city of Chihuahua is the capitol of the state, and is 
located west of the Conchos River, near the centre of the 
state, and is distant from Mexico city in a direct line about 
1,250 miles; from El Paso, in a southwest direction, 225 
miles, by rail; and from Guaymas, by way of Baleza in 
Cliihuahua, and Alamos, in Sonora, 500 miles. It is reached 
by the Mexican Central Railroad from El Paso on the 
north and will soon be connected with Durango on the 
south by the same line, opening in that direction communi- 
cation by rail with Mexico City on the completion of the 
Mexican Central line. 

The road through to Alamos has not yet been put into 
complete condition for wagons; hence, the most of the travel 
in that direction is on the back of mules. The city of Chi- 
huahua wa3 built toward the close of the seventeenth cen- 
tury, although the State was originally inhabited and occu- 
pied at Las Casas Grandes by the Aztecs many centuries 
ago. ISTo one knows the date, farther than by the records 
of the ancients, which say that the state was occupied by 
the Aztecs at that place in 1160, or over seven centuries 
ago. 

The city of Chihuahua is well laid out, with the streets 
crossing each other at right angles. They are broad, well 
paved, and kept quite clean. The square called the Plaza 
Mayor is quite extensive, and ornamented on one side by 
the famous cathedral, which has been pronounced by 
American traders to be one of the finest structures in the 
country. This building cost $800,000, and is constructed of 
brown stone masonry. It is surmounted with a dome and 
two towers, and is in imitation of the modern Gothic, 
mingled with the Moorish style of architecture. It is a 
large building, having a handsome fa9ade embellished with 
statues of the Twelve Apostles. 

On the other side of the Plaza, there are public and pri- 
vate buildings, including the ancient State House. 

The unfinished Convent of San Francigco also looms up 
from the other buildings, a " cousjDicuous mass of masonry and 
bad taste," says Mr. Riixton. In the center of the plaza, 
which is adorned with flowers and orange and other trop- 



139 

ical trees and shrubs, a beautiful fountain plays day and 
night, which is supplied with water continually by a well- 
constructed aqueduct a little over three miles long, which 
carries water from a tributary of the Conchos River or 
stream. This aqueduct supplies the town with water, and 
is supported on several stupendous arcades, which adds 
much to the massive architecture in the town. 

The large cathedral was built out of the proceeds from 
one mine in the vicinity, which struck a bonanza that con- 
tinued for nine years, and was apparently inexhaustible. 
One real was laid aside for each marc of silver produced, 
and a fund was formed, out of which this magnificent cathe- 
dral of Chihuahua was built, and a reserve fund formed of 
$100,000. A mint is also located here. Much trade is car- 
ried on between this city and San Antonio, Texas, and St. 
Louis, and Santa F^. It is also the resort of many strangers 
from New Mexico, California, Texas, Sonora, and Sinaloa. 
The city contains about 18,000 inhabitants. The Jesuit 
Convent of San Francisco before mentioned is celebrated as 
having been the place of confinement of the patriot Hidalgo, 
the Mexican Hampden, who was executed in a yard behind 
the building, in 1811. A monument has been erected to 
his memory in the Plaza de Armas, and is a pyramid of 
stone, with an inscription eulogistic of his character and 
patriotic record. 

The shops are filled with goods from the various points 
before mentioned, and it is not unusual to find the finest of 
imported silks, and other costly articles from Europe and 
India. Traders arriving in Chihuahua either sell their 
goods in bulk to resident merchants, or open out a store on 
their own account. The goods are brought across the bor- 
der from the United States in wagons; and some years ago, 
a law was passed by the state, charging a duty of $500 for 
each wagon-load, without taking into account the value or 
nature of the articles. The result was, that one wagon was 
made to carry three loads, to evade the duty on two loads. 
This has been abolished since, we understand, and the laws 
relating to duties are general throughout the republic. The 
city of Chihuahua supplies all the surrounding country. 

Las Gasas Grandes and its Legend. 

The famous Las Casas Grandes, or Great Houses, are 
located towards the north-western part of the state, on the 
west bank of the Las Casas Grandes River, which flows into 



140 

Bio los Conchos. Here lie, decomposing and moldering nn- 
der the luxuriance of vegetable growth, the ruins of Azteo 
greatness. 

A legend is related by Spanish historians of the migration 
of the Aztecs to Chihuahua and Arizona, where a portion 
also located and built tlie Casas Grandes, ruins of which are 
now seen in that territory. The legend is found in the work 
of Antonio Garcia Cubas, and in the works of many other 
Spanish writers, and is as follows: 

" Huitziton, a person of great authority among the Az- 
tecs, heard in the branches of a tree the trilling of a small 
bird, which in its song repeated the sound 'tihuc,' the lit- 
eral meaning of which is, 'let us go.' Huitziton being 
struck at this, and communicating his impressions to another 
personage, called Tecpaltzin, they both induced the Aztecs 
to leave their country, interpreting the song as a mandate 
from divinity. Even to the present day, there is a bird 
known among the Mexicans by the name of ' Tihuitochan ' 
(Let us go home). 

"In 1160 they commenced their peregrination, and passing 
by a large river in which historians concur in being the 
Colorado and which discharges itself into the Gulf of Cali- 
fornia, they advanced toward the river Gila, after remaining 
for some time at a place known to-day by the name of Casa 
Grande, not far from the shores of that river. From thence 
they continued their road and again took up quarters at a 
place to the north-west of Chihuahua, now called like the 
previous stopping place, Las Casas Grandes, and whose ruins 
show the vast proportions of the ancient building and fort- 
ress. Leaving behind them the wide " Sierra de la Tara- 
humara," they afterward went toHueycolhuacau, now Culia- 
can, capital of the state of Sinaloa, and there remained for 
three years, during which time they made the statue of 
their god Huitzilopochtli, which was to accompany them in 
their expedition. 

"During their peregrination the tribe was divided into two 
factions, one faction settling on a sandy promontory called 
Tlaltelolco. The name of Mexico was given to the new city, 
in honor of their god who was born of a virgin belonging to 
the family of Citli, and he was cradled in the heart of a 
maguey plant (or metl) ; hence the name 'Mecitli,' after- 
ward changed into ' Mexico. ' The popular drink of the 
Mexican people is made from this same plant, and is called 
* mescal,' a strong intoxicating liquor." 

From the appearance of the Las Casas Grandes or the 




IDOL 



141 



great houses, it would seem that their outer proportions were 
the lowest, and not above one story high; while the central 
ones were from three to six stories high. The ruins are con- 
structed of adobe, though these are much larger than those 
in use among the Mexicans at the present day. From a 
report touching a close examination of Las Casas Grandes, it 
is to be inferred that they occupied a space of at least 800 
feet from north to south, and from east to west near 250. 
On the south side a regular and continuous wall or fortifica- 
tion may be traced, while the eastern and western fronts are 
extremely irregular, leaving projecting walls. Within the 
inclosure there appear to have been several court-yards of 
greater or less dimensions. Las Casas Grandes here resem- 
ble those near the Pimo villages on the Gila in Arizona. 
The town near, of the same name, has about 1,500 inhabit- 
ants. 



CHAPTER in. 

RIO GRANDE REGION. 

Near El Paso del jSTorte there is a good agricultural coun- 
try. This town is located in the extreme north-western 
portion of the state on the E,io Grande. The products of 
this region are grapes, fruit, wheat, Lidian corn, and other 
cereals. The bottom lands along the Rio Grande are ex- 
tremely rich, and extend back from the river about one 
mile; beyond this rolling hills into the table-lands, which con- 
tinue until broken by the valleys of the four lakes and their 
streams before mentioned. About 70 or 80 miles from El 
Paso del Korte, in the interior, in a southern direction, the 
laud is sterile, as before mentioned. Then as the country 
nears Baranca, a small town situated east of Las Casas 
Grandes, the country grows better, and the soil extremely 
rich, in places. South of these sand plains there is a good 
grazing country. There is no water to be found near these 
sand plains, and water has to be carried in crossing them. 
The Rio Grande region extends along the Rio Grande the 
whole extent of the north-western boundary, and small 
towns are occasionally met with on the road, among which 
may be mentioned El Presidio del E"orte, and San Vicente. 
Much stock is raised all along this region, and some agricul- 
tural productions. 



142 
From El Paso to the City of Chihuahua. 

Mr. Julius Froebel recounts as follows a trip from El Paso 
to Chihuahua City in 1859. He was in company with some 
merchants, and we give his description for the benefit of our 
readers: 

" For the first five or six days journey from El Paso to 
Chihuahua, a choice of two roads is presented. The ona 
is considerably shorter, but dangerous and difficult, as it 
takes a southern direction over the notorious medanos, or 
quicksand hills, the other avoids these by following the 
course of the river two days journey' as far as the village 
Guadalupe, and again joins the high road somewhat to the 
north of Oarrizal. We chose the last, and our caravan pro- 
ceeded down the valley to Guadalupe. 

The road, at first, passed close along the base of the allu- 
vial terrace, through thickets of mezquite and a 8crni)by 
plant of the order of compositae, then it wound up the ter- 
race, which consists of sand-gravel and fragments of rocks 
overgrown with mezquite, larrea, fouquiera, artemesia, shrub- 
by labiate, cacti yuccas, etc. In some places the river had 
formed its channel close to the terrace, forming a perpendic- 
ular sand clifl", rendering the road at its very edge in no 
slight degree dangerous." 

The town of Guadalupe is reached in three days travel 
from El Paso. About six miles lower down the river, a new 
village named San Ygnacio has been founded by the settle- 
ment of New Mexico immigrants. 

From hence (Guadalupe,) the Sierra de Cantarrecio on the 
left and the Sierra Guadalupe on the right, the road rises 
gradually to the higher ground south of the Eio Grande. 
The space between the above named mountains is a plain 
rising somewhat to the south, and covered with the common 
chapparral of these localities. At noon we stopped at Can- 
tarrecio, a watering-place, where we found only a tittle mud- 
dy water. In the evening, when dark, we passed — turning 
to the west, by a slow ascending plain of firm clayey soil, 
which contracted to a small mountain pass — the chain of hills, 
by which the terrace of Centarrecio is separated from that of 
the medanos, and encamped for the night on the opposite 
side, on a grass covered plain. The mountain peaks, near 
the pass, are bare, rocky and in some places of grotesque 
form. On the right an opening passes through the rock 
from one side of the mountain to the other, and one of our 
Mexican drivers told me that thi^ part of the mountain is 



143 

named from this circumstance Sierra cle la Ventana, " Win- 
dow Mountain.', This name, however, did not appear to be 
generally used, for a gentleman, who had accompanied us 
from El Paso, called it Sierra de los Medanos, or Sandhill 
Mountain. Behind this road, as we approached it from the 
East, the needles and peaks of the Sierra de la Rancheria, 
which bears a striking resemblance to the Sierra de las Or- 
ganos. Farther on eastward appears another similar mount- 
ain group called Sierra del Candelario. In the plain at the 
back of the former are the Charcos del Grado, pools sur- 
rounded by mimbre bushes. (Mimbre is a beautiful shrub 
which in Northern Mexico, from Rio Grande to California, 
flourishes on the banks of intermitting streams. It is a 
biquoniaceous plant, with pink and white blossoms, and long 
pendant lanceolate leaves — a chilopsis.) 

In the afternoon we distinguished as we thought, the smoke 
of five fires in a southerly direction, but the next day we dis- 
covered that they had been clouds of dust caused by whirl- 
winds. In the evening we advanced over a level plain 
towards a mountain chain of perpendicular rocks, anong 
which one remarkably angular and definod in its form, the 
Cerro de Lucerr o attracts attention. "We encamped next 
morning at Ojo de Lucerro, a spring near the Laguna de las 
Patos. This is a lake on the left of the road. The plain is 
mostly covered with grass, but near the Cerro de Lucerro 
tracts of clay or sand are covered with an efl:ervescence appa- 
rently of carbonate of soda. 

One road, at least, took us over places of this nature, and 
from appearances, it seemed probable that, to the right of 
the road, they existed to a considerable extent. It was over 
this portion of the plain, that we had seen, and now saw 
more closely, those columns of dust. Their recurrence in 
the same locality may be accounted for by the nature of the 
soil. 

At no great distance from the Ojo de Lucerro we met with 
another spring, Ojo del Coyote, remarkable as rising in the 
summit of a sandhill about twenty or thirty feet high. This 
curious circumstance is however easily explained, the sand- 
hill being built up by the spring. It is surrounded by the 
same kind of efflorescence. The Mexicans call this salt, 
which they collect for soap-boiling, "Tequesquite," evi- 
dently an Aztec word. A few miles farther, at no great dis- 
tance from the Laguno de los Patos, a warm spring rises in 
several eddies from the white sand. It forms a clear, tepid 
brook, which flows into a piece of water, surrounded by tall 



144 

reeds, on the side of the road. This place was frequented 
by numbers ot waterfowl — ducks, coots and a large black, 
web-footed bird, with very long legs, long neck and long bill, 
called by the Mexicans " Gallareda." They flew, when dis- 
turbed, in wedge-shaped, flocks, with outstretched necks, 
like geese. The spring and piece of water are called Ojo de 
la Laguna. The water is slightly alkali, and a white efllor- 
escence collected at its edge. In eight days travel Carrizal is 
reached. 

The situation of Carrizal is one of the most beautiful on 
the North Mexican table land. An extensive plain, watered 
by several streams, is surrounded in the distance by a girdle 
of bare, steep mountains. A clear mountain stream, dis- 
pensing fertility to field and meadow in its course, flows 
through lands between varied banks for miles through the 
plain, its course marked by rows of poplars. Twenty years 
ago herds of many hundreds of thousands of cattle grazed 
upon the plain; now they have dwindled to the mere shadow 
of their former numbers, and, comparing this locality with 
the wealth it was known formerly to possess, the conclusion 
is irresistable that, of all destructive animals, man is the 
worst. The place, indeed, is full of ruins, and lies on a 
raised platform, consisting of hard red clay, with pebbles 
and fragments of sandstone, evidently changed by the influ- 
ence of heat; black sloamaceous lava, yellow and green 
sienna, much resembling pumice, and numerous pebbles of 
chalcedon. The country is bare of trees, with the excep- 
tion of the poplars along the irrigating canals, so that tliey 
are literally the only trees visible throughout the whole 
journey from the Rio Grande to Chihuahua. We reached 
towards evening, two days later, a warm spring of rather 
high temperature, named Ojo Caliente, which rises at the 
base of a group of phonolitic hills. The water, which is clear 
and pure in taste, forms a considerable stream, but I am 
not sure whether it reaches the Laguna de los Patos, or is 
retained in the plain for purposes of irrigation. Numerous 
fish sported in its waters. 

We traveled next day from morning till evening between 
bare mountains, over rocky, treeless, but grass-covered hills, 
and passed a portion of the night on the broad, level pass of 
Chinate, a notorious place, where numerous bones of men 
and animals warned us not to leave hold of our arms. Many 
parties of travelers have been attacked here by the Indians, 
with much loss of life.. The rocks consist of a green and 
grey hard phonolitic porphyry. We started at two o'clock 



145 

in the morning, in order to reach the Laguna de Encinillaa 
without a halt. Toward eight o'clock we came to a descent 
in the rocks which, from the name of a hacienda on the other 
side of the mountain, is called the descent of Agua Nueva, 
and leads to the lower level of the lake. The hacienda of 
Agua Nueva is one of the few large grazing estates inlTorth 
Mexico, where the herds still exist on the old Mexican scale 
of cattle keeping. 

As we descended the hill, the largest herd of antelopes 
passed, that I have ever seen. It must have numbered 
more than 1,000, and extended from one mountain to another 
straight across the valley, vanishing as quick almost a's 
thought from our sight. The plain in which the Lake of 
Encinillas lies, is surruounded by steep mountains, and is 
one of the richest and most valuable localities in the world for 
cattle grazing, in times past supporting inumerable herds; 
now , it is almost a dessert. The trip consumed fourteen 
days. 

Itos Medanos. 

The medanos or sand-hillls are a peculiar feature of the 
northern part of Chihuahua, and are encountered on the road 
from El Paso to Chihuahua City. These hills stretch in a 
line from northwest to southeast for some twenty miles, and 
are about six miles across from northeast to southwest. 
E"early destitute of vegetation, their light yellow-whitish 
appearance presents a strong contrast to the deep brown of 

' the adjacent mountains during the dry season. This sand la 
very light and fine and forms deep ridges resembling the 
waves of the ocean, which are continually shifted about by 
the winds, entirely obliterating the tracks of passing caravans 
or stage. The whitened bones of mules and cattle project 
here and there from the eand, with an occasional carcase 
which was dried up before the wolves discovered it. 
Although this route is the shortest by some sixty miles it is 
invariably avoided by trains or loaded wagons. These, take 
the river route which passes entirely beyond their farthest 
southern extremity. Persons on horseback, pack-mules and 
light pleasure wagons, or the stage, alone attempt to cross 
the hills. This place is also attended with great danger 
from the attacks of the Apaches, who well know the helpless 

* condition of animals passing and take the opportunity to at- 
tack parties. 

From Correlitos there is no other road to El Paso for wag- 
ons, except by making a complete circuit around these hills. 



146 

This point is one of the favorite places of attack of the 
Apaches, and is peculiarly dangerous on account of the late 
hostile demonstrations by these murderous bands of savages. 
Travelers are warned to avoid this point of all others while 
traveling throuo-h Chihuahua. 



'is 



Prom Chihuahua to Durango. 

The distance between the cities of Chihuahua and Durango 
is from 390 to 400 miles. The most of this distance is only 
traveled by mule pack trains, although a wagon road could 
be easily opened. The direct route leads through small 
towns and villages. The trail takes a southeast direction 
over the plain, about 40 miles when a small pond or lake 
called La Cieneguilla and a small stream that empties into 
the Rio JFlorido a branch of the Rio Conchos, about 30 miles 
traveled, reaches the rancho Alamito, which is situated 
about 8 to 10 miles from the banks o| another stream empty- 
ing into the Florido. A stretch of about 55 miles takes the 
traveler to Hidalgo, at one time quite an important town. 
The trail then continues almost due south to San Jose del 
Parral, distant, about 35 miles. Here the line of travel takes 
a southwest course, crossing the headwaters of the Rio 
Florido, abont 25 miles further. The Fuerte Cerro Gordo 
is reached about 8 miles beyond. The distance to Las Pin- 
oles is near fifty miles, over a dry barren region. The trail 
following the same course, it here takes a southerly course 
to Fuerte de Gallo, nearly 30 miles distant, 35 miles fur- 
ther reaches the Rio Mapimi, near which is located on the 
road the rancho San Lorenzo. Crossing the valley of the 
Mapimi, taking a southerly course, brings us to Cuencame, 
a stretch of 40 miles. 

Cuencame is a busy little place, whose industry makes it 
flourishing. Large smelting furnaces are here in operation 
for the smelting of the ores of silver which abound in the 
mountains. The furnaces are well built, of brick, on the 
English plan. The inhabitants are engaged at their differ- 
ent occupations in the most assiduous manner, quite differ- 
ent from most Mexican villagers. It is fifty leagues to 
Durango in a southwest direction. The first portion of the 
road is over a range of volcanic hills, and the latter is along 
an elevated table land. It is easy for the traveler to come 
from Eagle Pass, on the Rio Grande, to Cuencame by wagon, 
but to Durango from this place a good riding mule or sure- 
footed horse is much better, and for the conveyance of bag- 



147 

gage pack animals will be necessary. Animals can be 
purchased cheaply at Cuencame, and those that are used to 
strono;, rocky ground, as the country there is very gravelly. 
The first twenty miles after leaving Cuencame are pretty 
rough traveling and bring us to a stock-raising rancho, 
where plenty of mules are bred of a fine quality. Here 
water is elevated to the surface by a drum propelled by 
mule power. Twenty miles north of this place is a valley 
where cotton is raised, and where there are some factories 
at work manufacturing the "mauta," an unbleached cotton 
cloth much used by the Mexicans. It is a flourishing little 
place. From here the road leads over a valley covered 
with a growth of the vinasgas, whose fruit is much relished 
by the people of the country. The valley also affords fine 
grazing, but water and timber are very scarce. Twenty-five 
miles takes us to a fine prairie, at the lowest part of which 
is a deserted rancho called El Saucito, or "The Willow." 
A large willow tree shading a spring of cool, refreshing 
water gives the place its name. From El Saucito to El 
Sauz is twelve miles, over a high country slightly timbered. 
El Sauz is in sight for ten miles before reaching it. This is 
a stock and grain rancho, as is also Laguna, twelve miles on 
the road, where a lake or lagoon is found. The next forty 
miles of road are over an undulating country. There are 
four miles of road in one place so stony that you are forced 
to dismount and lead your mule. It appears that a- hail 
storm of stones had fallen on those four miles. Beyond this 
bad road are some water wells, but the water is brackish. A 
little further on is the haicenda of Los Chonos, or the "Wa- 
ter Spoutj where water flows abundantly out of the ground. 
This is really a fine place, built of solid masonry and white- 
washed. There are large droves of sheep and mules on this 
rancho The residence of the " Amo," or owner, is a pretty 
piece of architecture, the colonades being in the Corinthian 
style and all else about it showing unusual refinement. The 
country around Los Chonos is thickly wooded with mesquit 
and the soil rich. One or two farms may be discovered in 
the clearings. From this place to Durango is thirty miles. 
Three leagues from Durango is the crossing of the Rio de 
Hautruipi, near which is situated a fine hacienda, but it is 
not visi ble from the road. Between this one and Durango 
is a large haicenda, said to be one of the richest in the State. 
From here a fine road leads into Durango, which is seen at 
a distance from the plain. 



148 



El Paso del Norte. 

This town was named from the ford on the river and the 
pass between the mountaius, and literally means the "pas- 
sage of the north." This is the oldest settlement in the 
northern part of Mexico. A mission was established here 
by El Padre Fray Augustiu Ruiz, one of the Franciscan 
monks, about 1585. The colony was composed of twelve 
families from Old Castile, under the leadership of Don Juan 
Oiiate. Several years after the first settlement the Spanish 
colonists of Kew Mexico were driven to this settlement, 
where they erected a fortification and maintained themselves 
until the arrival of reinforcements from Mexico. The pop- 
ulation of the place has not increased much since the year 
1848, as there were then 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants — about 
the same number as now. The colony divided the lands 
bordering the banks of the river, into small plats of twenty 
acres each, and gave one to each family, on which they raised 
corn, potatoes, beans, and vegetables, and planted small 
vineyards and fruit trees; and the river was dammed up in 
dry seasons, about a mile above the ford, and water con- 
veyed by an aqueduct or main canal to irrigate the bottom 
lands. The whole settlement was intersected in every direc- 
tion with dikes. They manufactured the grapes into wine 
and brandy, or " aguadiente," the latter of which is much 
esteemed in Chihuahua and Darango. Under proper man- 
agement, wine-making here might become a very profitable 
branch of industry, for the soil is especially adapted for the 
vine, and the interior is supplied with French wines at an 
enormous price. Wine may be made of the El Paso grape, 
equal to the best growth of France or Spain. The river 
bottom is timbered with cottonwoods, where it is not culti- 
vated for a few hundred yards on each side of the stream. 

The town of El Paso del Norte is located opposite the 
town of El Paso, Texas, on the American side, and runs 
down the river about three miles, and back one mile. The 
region is thickly settled for several miles farther down, and 
back five miles from the river. There are a number of 
vineyards in a high state of cultivation. The town has two 
or three principal streets, on which most of the business is 
transacted. The streets are narrow, irregular and dusty. 
The houses are built of adobe, and the windows are barred 
with iron gratings. The doors are fastened with wooden 
bars inside, and are clumsy afiairs. Carts with large wheels, 
hewn from logs, are still used here — the same clumsy and 
heavy vehicles so often seen in Mexico. 



149 

This town, although presenting a somewhat unsightly ap. 
pearauce to the visitor, is destined to be one of great im- 
portance, and will soon serve as the distributing point for 
the whole of north-western Mexico, including Sonora, Chi- 
huahua, Sinaloa, and Durango, on the completion of the rail- 
roads centering here. 

The Rio Grande River is a shallow, muddy, sluggish 
stream, and not over two or three feet deep at this point, 
during the dry season, but assumes large proportions in the 
wet season. The banks are low and sandy, and the course 
of the stream often changes, and, for this reason, the towns 
on its banks are mostly situated high up on its banks and 
on the neighboring plateaus or bluffs. The water in the 
river is very good for drinking and cooking purposes, and 
not so impregnated with alkali as the well water in use by 
the inhabitants. 

The river, at this point, is small, but in the time of the 
rainy season it swells to six times its width in the dry sea- 
sou. It is f ordable in almost any part, but from the shifting 
bars and quicksands, the passage is always difficult for load- 
ed wagons, and often very dangerous. The stream abounds 
in large fish of an excellent flavor, and large eels. During 
the rainy season the ford is crossed by a ferry-boat. The 
settlements extend down the river some distance, in little 
groups or towns, for some 15 miles, and are mostly inhab- 
ited by Mexicans, with here and there some few exceptions. 
Some enterprising Americans having planted vineyards, are 
carrying on a very good trade in wine and brandy with the 
interior. 

Mining Districts and Mines of Chihuahua. 

The principal mining districts of Chihuahua are, the 
Guadalupe y Calvo, Zapuri, Batopilas, Urique, Guazaparez, 
Jesus Maria, and Potrero, Morellos, Chinapa, Pinos Altos, 
Concepcion, Cusihurriachic, Magurichic, Hidalgo y Teno- 
rivo, kSau Francisco del Oro, and Hidalgo del Parral. 

The Guadalupe y Calvo mines, which are located in the 
southern part of the state, are mostly owned by a 'New York 
company, who purchased them from an English company, 
who obtained vast profits from working them. The mines 
of this district obtained their great reputation from the 
immense wealth brought to their English owners. The 
Zapuri District is also very rich, and is owned by Becerra 
Hermauos. The mines of this district, which are now being 



150 

worked, are said to be the richest in the state of Chihuahua. 
The Batopilas District is mostly owned by several American 
companies and individuals, and is located in the south-west- 
ern part of the state, about 90 miles from Fuerte, in a 
north-east direction. 

The celebrated San Miguel mine is owned by the Bato- 
pilas Consolidated Mining Company, of "New York, with 
other mines in this district. Mr. Shepard, of Washington 
City, owns the controlling interest of this company, which 
is amassing immense profits from their mines. 

The San Miguel, which is now yielding from |7,000 to 
i8,000 per day, is located near this point; and while work- 
ing the mine, they reached one of three veins that produced 
bonanzas of from 50 to 90 per cent, pure silver; the rich 
places being found sometimes in one ledge, then in another. 

The Santo Domingo, which is located on one side of the 
San Miguel, and is owned by Mr. Kirk, of Philadelphia, 
struck a bonanza upon the same ledge that was passed 
through by the San Miguel, without finding rich ore, 
though the latter mine struck a bonanza on the next vein 
beyond. 

The ITevada Tunnel Company's mine, owned by Becerra 
HermaJQOS & Co., was opened near the converging point of 
the difi:*erent veins, expecting to strike it rich on the other 
side, to the right of the San Miguel mine; they reasoning 
that if the veins all converge at this point, which the angles 
of the ledges or veins indicate, they will find one solid bo- 
nanza of all the veins in one. If this is true, the result will 
be millions to the owners. These mines are all located in 
the Batopilas district, the veins of which produce virgin 
silver, with little or no alloy with copper or base metals. 
We were shown specimens of ore taken from these mines, 
and found them to be from 50 to 90 per cent of virgin silver. 
These specimens are to be seen at Mr. J. F. Schleiden's 
office, of this city, who very kindly gave us valuable inform- 
ation in relation to the mines of Siualoa, Chihuahua, and 
Durango. 

The Urique District contains many rich mines, and is 
owned by the Becerra Hermanos. 

The Chinipas District is on the road to the Guazaparez 
district, and possesses some very good mines. The latter 
district contains some rich mines, and is entirely owned by 
Mexicans. 

The Jesus Maria District may be mentioned next, to 
which we have given special attention in the reports of 



151 

assay ers and mining experts; the greater part of wbich 
information is found in the valuable book of Mr. Mowry, on 
Arizona and Sonora. The mines of this district are all 
owned by Mexicans, and are now worked to great advan- 
tage. 

The Pinos Altos District is mostly owned by English and 
American companies. 

The district of Morelos is also, with the Pinos Altos, very 
rich in ores that yield marvelously. 

We might add that the Batopilas district is completely 
surrounded with mountains containing milling ores. The 
silver is almost entirely native in this whole region. The 
celebrated Tajos mine is located in the Batopilas district, 
and is famous for its beautiful specimens of ores. This 
mine is also owned by the Bacerra Hermanos. There is 
another silver mine in Parral, that has a shaft 300 feet deep, 
that pays $175 jDer ton, according to the assay of Salazar, 
assayist, of Tucson, Arizona. This mine is located in the 
southern part of Chihuahua, in the Sierra Madre range, in 
the vicinity of other silver mines. The vein, Mr. C. Orcilla, 
the owner, who is now in this city, says, is from 12 to 24: feet 
wide, and is located in the town of Parral, that has 6,000 in- 
habitants. The river, or Parral Creek, runs through the 
town. There is good grazing in the vicinity, and it is sur- 
rounded by cattle ranchos. It is in a region well settled. 
The mine is an old one, and the extent of possession is 600 
by 200 varas. The ore is milled near the same place by the 
primitive arastra. The ore is carried to the arastras on the 
backs of mules. The mine is for sale, and can be purchased 
of Mr. Orcilla. The JEl Minero Mexicano, of December 9th, 
says that the mines of Hidalgo del Parral might be explored 
by the expenditure of $500,000. 

Mines of Jesus Maria and San Jose Districts. 

" The Nuestra Senora del Rayo mine, in the district of 
Jesus Maria, was discovered shortly after the discovery of 
the mine of Jesus Maria, from which the mining town de- 
rived its name, in the year 1823, and is situated in the west- 
ern range of mountains of the creek of Jesus Maria, at one- 
and-a-half miles from the town. 

" The Rayo was discovered at the same time as the cele- 
brated Santa Juliana Mine, from which it is about 500 varas 
distant. Its first owners were Messrs. Tomas Suza and 
Tomas Rivera, who worked it successfully, with good re 



152 



Bults, in gold and silver. It was abandoned on the discovery 
of a bonanza in the Santa JuUana mine, of which they were 
part owners. This happened in 1826. It was afterwards 
worked by the Siquerio Bros, until it became filled with bad 
air, caused by careless management. The mine was after- 
wards almost ruined by gambucinos. Sr. J. C. Henriquez, 
in 1858, denounced it to restore it, which he subsequently 
did, and it is now being worked. 

The extent of possession of this mine is 700 varas verti- 
cally, the vein having an inclination of from 15 to 20 de- 
grees, and running east and west. A drift shaft 25 varas 
long and 5 wide has been opened, with firm walls, from 
whence two shafts have been sunk, leaving a pillar of 14 to 
15 varas between. A drift was run from them of large ex- 
tent. 

There is also a vein of auriferous, argentiferous quartz in 
the vein proper. It runs from 2 to 10 inches in thickness in 
four different veins, running parallel with each other. The 
ley of the ores was 24 ounces of auriferous silver per carga, 
or 160 ounces per ton. The intrinsic value of the silver of this 
mine, according to the statement of the government assay er 
of the district was 11 d. 2 gr. silver, 100 gr. gold, realizing 
11 d. per marc at Jesus Maria prices. 

The ore discovered in widening the walls, when these 
auriferous veins were first discovered, contained more silver 
than gold, yielding at the rate of $1,500 silver to $100 gold 
per carga of 300 lbs. It afterwards changed into more gold, 
and yielded over $100,000 per ' ton. Later, this vein 
changed into its former state. More or less rich pockets are 
found at uncertain intervals. The ores are easily reduced 
under the common Spanish amalgamation process. This 
Rayo mine is situated near the top of a mountain range, 
from 300 to 500 varas above the creek. The entrance to 
the mine is on an almost perpendicular side of the mountain. 
Timber is abundant, and at three miles distant. It is hardly 
half a mile to the hacienda of Quintana. 

Santa Margarita is situated at the Rosario, about three 
miles distant from Jesus Maria, and was formerly owned by 
Messrs. Gutierrez, Guerrena& Co. The vein is steep, slant- 
ing from one-half to one vara wide, its gangue being lime- 
spattle with virgin gold of 960 m. ley per ton. The vein 
runs east to west 2 degrees, incline north ; extent of pos- 
session, 800 varas. The mine has filled with water, and has 
three shafts. The common ore always paid $72 per ton. 
The better class reached $25,961 per ton, and the best ore, 



153 



$71,680 per ton, with gold celling at Jesus Maria at $12 to 
$14 per ounce. The improvements on the mine are one 
stone building- — a "malacate," or large horse-windlass. An 
outlay of $4,000 to $5,000 would put the mine in working 
condition, providing the malacate windlass was used, 

" San Jose. — The Rosario gold mine is adjoining the Santa 
Margarita mine, and is supposed to be the same vein. The 
vein is almost perpendicular, and from one-half to one vara 
in width. Several shafts and drifts have been run. The 
best and second-class ore has paid a similar ley as that of 
the Santa Margarita, while the common and inferior ley 
pays from $3 to $4 per carga, or from $20 to $25 })er ton, 
while the heavy residue of the ground and worked ore pays 
six ounces to the arroba, of 25 lbs. "Zaroche" is the name 
for gold of low color, containing silver. On one oc asion, a 
carga of 300 lbs realized $10,000, having reached a rich 
pocket. Extent of possession, 800 varas. This mine is now 
full of water. 

"The Candelaria mine is situated about half a mile from 
the town of Jesus Maria. The vein runs almost perpejidic- 
ular from one to two feet wide, The ore is hard, but docile 
under the amalgamation process. The lowest yield has never 
been less than $48 per arroba of 300 lbs— $320 to $3243 per 
ton as the highest. 

" The gold of this mine sells at Jesus Maria at $10 jDer 
ounce. The mine is on the top of a mountain range 400 
varas above the creek, and was full of rain water; extent of 
possession, 800 varas. 

"The San Rafael mine is distant three-quarters of a mile 
from Jesus Maria town. The vein is nearly perpendicular, 
direction south to north, inclination from 15'^ to 20° east, and 
is about one and a half feet wide, on an average. The gam- 
bucinos filled up the most of the shafts with rubbish and de- 
stroyed them. The balance of the shafts from the fi.rst drift 
are filled with water. The lowest ley has never been less 
than one marc to the cargo, the residue or "polvillos " pay- 
ing from two to three marcs silver per arroba, or about $110 
per ton. This silver is auriferous, and sells at Jesus Maria 
at $16 per marc; extent of possession, 800 varas. 

" The Hacienda Quintanais the point established for the re- 
duction of the ores, and is situated in the center of the min- 
ing town Jesus Maria. It consists of three stamps and eight 
arastras, all the machinery of which is moved by an overshot 
wheel run by water. The hacienda reduces three and a half 
tons per 24 hours, and is fed by the creek Jesus Maria." 



154 

The principal mines of El Parral, situated at the city of 
Parral, are six in number, known as the Prieta, Mercaderas, 
Tajo, San Antonio, Leona and Konquilla. These mines are 
famous in history and have a national reputation, having yield- 
ed over $60,000,000 in silver, and are with those of Batopi- 
las and Jesus Maria the most important in the state of Chi- 
huahua. The mines are located on a small mountain of the 
foot-hills of the Sierra Madre range called " Cerro la Cruz," 
which overlooks and is within walking distance of the city. 
The Prieta and Tajo mines have been extensively worked by 
the Spaniards and Mexicans. The workings in the former, 
following the body of the ore, have left an immense hall or 
chamber, showing the amount of ore that has been extracted. 
The height of the chamber reaches 260 feet and width follow- 
ing the vein, extends from seven feet two inches to over 
twenty feet, and length from 150 to 200 feet. At the bottom 
the vein is from seven feet two inches to fifteen feet wide. 
At the extreme north end the ore as shown by assays made 
last year carried 67 ounces of silver to the ton, a few feet fur- 
ther south 82 ounces, in other parts 146 ounces, 77 ounces, 66 
ounces, 139 and 180 ounces. The Mercaderas mine is next to 
the Prieta, not being however connected with it. At the 
point where is situated the Mercaderas mine the same vein is 
narrower, but from this mine a very large quantity of silver 
was taken, very rich ore having been found. At the Tajo, 
however, the vein is wider than it is at the Prieta, having in 
the Tajo, and from there to the Ronquilla a width of from 
twenty-five to sixty feet, the ore being quite as rich as that 
found in the Prieta. 

The above described property was bought by Hon. Joseph 
Knotts while U. S. Consul at the city of Chihuahua, from dif- 
ferent parties and consolidated by the company known as the 
Knotts Mexican Silver Mining Company of Chicago. A ten 
stamp mill has been erected with suitable storehouse buildings 
and all the necessary appurtenances in the shape of furnaces, 
pumps, etc. 

The city of Parral, which is called Hidalgo del Parral, is a 
place of about 10,000 inhabitants and is over 200 years old. 
It is as orderly and quiet as any city of its size in the United 
States and has a considerable trade in supplying mines in the 
vicinity. The foregoing report upon the mines of Parral is 
taken from a report of A. J. Howell on the consolidated 
mines of Parral. 

From a report on " Pastrana," in the Batopilas district, by 
Jno. C. F. Randolph, M. E., we quote the following data : 



155 

"The diorite is the rock in which the productive silver 
veins in this locality are found. Extending from the north- 
east corner to the southwest corner of the belt, a distance of 
perhaps four and a half miles, there seems to be a bonanza 
line of white panina, on which all the great bonanza veins of 
Batopilas lie. No great bonanza veins have as yet been found 
outside of this line. 

The peculiarity of this district lies in its containing veins of 
calc spar in the diorite carrying native silver. This occur- 
rence is only known in one other locality in the world, while 
near the surface chlorides of silver, Wack silver and ruby sil- 
ver are found. The eventual ore has always been found to 
be native silver highly crystallized and often massive. This 
ore is richer and more cheaply and easily treated than any 
other ore of silver. In this district the cases are many in 
which veins have gone into bonanza over and over again, and 
this indeed is the usual experience with bonanza veins. These 
veins do not bear one blossom and then stop bearing. This 
is notably the case with the Yeta Grande vein on the property 
whose history has been given (San Miguel of the Consolida- 
ted Batopilas S. M. Co.). This vein gave a bonanza netting in 
four years almost $3,000,000. Within eighty feet of this 
bonanza, a new bonanza was struck into last year which has 
already produced $200,000 to very slight efforts, and in the 
portion already developed contains upward of $400,000 more 
in place, waiting for the arrival of a mill to treat it. The rule 
with all the mines of this district has been that, although they 
may carry chloride of silver on the surface, the eventual ore 
at a depth is native silver in all its grades of massive, Brossa, 
Cispeado, Clavo, and Azogue." — [J. C F. E. in *' Silver Mines 
of Batopilas."] 

From same : " At the greatest depth as yet attained by any 
mine in the district, viz.: 200 feet below the level of the river 
and 900 feet below the actual surface, this native silver still 
remains the final ore, and that no other class of ore will be 
found is undoubted. The classes of ore of this district are 
different from anything else in the world: Ist, Massive sil- 
ver in pieces of 100 pounds and upwards; 2d, Brossa silver, 
three-quarters silver and one-quarter calc spar, $20,000 per 
ton, and daily produced in the district ; 3d, Cispeado silver, 
one-third silver and two-thirds calc spar, $10,000 per ton, and 
daily produced in paying quantities in the district ; 4:th, Clavo 
silver, calc spar carrying isolated nails of silver, $500 to $5,000 
per ton ; 5th, Azogue, or amalgamating ore, with finely dis- 
seminated native silver, from $50 to $500 per ton, in large 



156 

quantities. The veins which have up to date (October, 1881) 
produced the principal bonanzas are the Pastrana, Carmen, 
San Antonio, Veta Grande, Arbetrios, Roncesvalles, Camu- 
chin, Descubridora, San Antonio de las Tachos, Santa Teresa, 
Guadalupe and Trinidad. All these bonanza mines are found 
on a diagonal line running from the northeast corner to the 
southwest corner of the belt, and are embraced within an area 
of a few hundred feet in width and some four miles in length. 

The most convenient connection for supplies is from San 
Francisco to Mazatlan by steamer, thence by schooner to Agi- 
abampo, on the Gulf of California, and from thence to Batopi- 
las by pack train. Lines of stages make regular trips from 
El Paso and San Antonio to Chihuahua, and on the Pacific 
side from Mazatlan to El Fuerte. The cost of shipping silver 
from Batopilas to New York, including insurance against 
every risk, is but S^ per cent." 

" The Todos Santos Mining Company own two mines, the 
Todos Santos and Arbetrios. The first was denounced in 
1875 and a shaft was sunk to the depth of 150 feet with six 
levels, and which worked by Mexican processes yielded nearly 
$120,000. It is said a lump of silver ore which assayed over 
90 per cent, weighing 285 pounds, was taken from this mine. 
Another now in the company's ofi&ce in Kew York weighs 
over 65 pounds, extracted in the early part of 1881, is estima- 
ted to be at least one-half silver in weight. The company 
now are driving a tunnel into the side of the mountain 150 
feet below the old works, to tap the vein. The other mine, 
Arbetrios, is an old mine, that, according to the mining rec- 
ords of Batopilas district, in one year produced over $500,000." 
— [From prospectus of the Todos Santos Silver Mining Co.] 

Twelve miles east of Chihuahua, Mexico, is the marvelous 
Santa Eulalia silver mountain, from which $447,000,000 have 
been taken in times past. It is now in the hands of New 
York and Philadelphia capitalists. The El Paso Times has a 
description of the mine at present, from which we quote as 
follows: " A road has been built through a very deep arroyo 
leading to some of the old mines, wliile another one has been 
aompleted thence to the hacienda, along which a ditch has 
been run, bringing up the water of the Chihuahua river to the 
R^orks for reduction purposes. Another gigantic operation is 
the cutting of two tunnels, one of five miles in length and the 
ather ten miles, which are to pierce the old mines. Even be- 
fore reaching any pockets, or leads proper, the ore taken out 
already is of sufficient value to pay the expenses of this colos- 
sal work as it progresses. Two hundred men are now em- 



157 

ployed, and when the hoisting works, stamp mills, etc., 
are completed, the former yield, fabulous as it may appear, 
will be easily surpassed. The records of the Tribunal of 
Mines and the Mint at Chihuahua, show that this mine, first 
opened in 1703, has yielded the enormous sum of $447,000,- 
000 in silver. But the church records of the Cathedral of 
Chihuahua would lead one to believe that even more was ex- 
tracted. That cathedral was built by a tax on this mine ex- 
clusively. A sum equal to 7 cents on every marca ($8) of 
silver taken from the Santa Eulalia constituted the only build- 
ing fund for this cathedral ; and when it is borne in mind that 
this edifice cost not less than $900,000, as estimated by the 
ecclesiastical and civil officials, $447,000,000 is a modest figure. 

In speaking of this region, Ward, in his work entitled 
"Mexico in 1827," says: "Near the surface of the earth all 
the lodes contain a considerable quantity of gold. This 
diminishes as the workings increase in depth, while the pro- 
portion of silver augments." And of the Santa Eulalia: "To 
the north of El Parral, and about five leagues to the south- 
east of the city of Chihuahua, is the ancient mining district of 
Santa Eulalia. It has been long abandoned, and the mines 
are in a ruinous condition. The ores were generally found 
in loose earth, filling immense caverns, of which some are 
stated to be sufficiently large to contain the cathedral of the 
City of Mexico ; but there can be little doubt of their magni- 
tude, since the last bonanza extracted from one of them con- 
tinued for nine years." " The ores of Santa Eulalia are 
generally mixed with a considerable quantity of galena, which 
renders them fit for smelting." 

Intending investors in mines in this country should only 
buy mines that, at least, have been partially explored and 
show metal. It is impossible for anyone to see into the 
ground, and no one is competent to state specifically the value 
of an undeveloped property. Good miners judge of the value 
of a mine by the amount of ore in sight, and from the indica- 
tions of vein, rock, etc., draw inferences as to the amount that 
is hidden. A vein is more likely to extend than to "peter 
out " suddenly from a good prospect. 

While there are many rich mines in Mexico one cannot be 
too careful in investing. As a case in point: A mining com- 
pany in San Francisco purchased an inaccessible mine which 
they could not reach with expensive machinery which they 
had purchased, and a 10 stamp mill now lies scattered along 
the sides of a mountain in Chihuahua, in a ruinous condition, 
and the property was totally abandoned after some $90,- 



158 

000 were expended in the experiment. These mines are 
undoubtedly good mines, but are inaccessible, and therefore 
will not pay the expenses of working them. 

Guadakipe y Calvo, in the Guadalupe y Calvo District, is 
the largest mine in the State of Chihuahua. It was leased 
in former years to an English company for a period of 20 
years, and supported a population of 10,000 people. This is 
a celebrated mine, on account of its producing immense 
fortunes for the English company. "When the lease expired, 
the original owners, who are Mexicans, took possession, 
with all the improvements, and continued to work it. 
While it was in possession of the English company, they 
secured the erection of a mint by the Mexican government, 
to save the expense of transportation. A 20-stamp mill was 
used to reduce the ore, and about 80 arastras. The latter 
were run by Mexicans on shares. The depth reached in 
the mine is about 900 feet. The width of the vein averages 
from 20 to 25 feet, and is well defined. The average assay 
was about $200— the lowest, |40, and the highest', $2,000. 
The ore was free milling. The mine is located on the side 
of a mountain, 500 feet above the creek; but it is now 
abandoned, and the shafts and drifts are filled with water on 
the lower levels. 

The Carmen mine is located just beyond the border line 
of Sinaloa, in the State of Chihuahua, on the side of a mount- 
ain near the summit, in the main range of the Sierra 
Madre. The depth of the mine is about 300 feet or more; 
width of the vein about 5 feet. The average assay about 
$120 per ton, and the ore runs pretty even from $80 to $300 
per ton. It is owned by a Mexican. The ore is rebellious, 
and contains but a small percentage of gold. The mine is 
not a mile distant from the border, and about 25 miles from 
the town of Cosala in Sinaloa. 

The Pinos and Altos is worked by an English company, Mr. 
Hepburn is the principal owner. A 15-stamp mill is now re- 
ducing the ore and arrangements are being made for anoth- 
er 15 stamp mill. The depth attained is 800 feet. The 
average assay is about $100 per ton. This mine is situated 
on the top of a mountain about 15 miles from Jesus Maria 
Northwest. Several shafts, crosscuts and tunnels have been 
run. The present owners have worked the mine for about 
three years. The mine was purchased from Mexicans. The 
ore produces a larger percentage of gold than silver. 



159 

The La Soledad has reached a dept of about 90 feet, and 
and width of the vein about 15 feet; average assay, about 
$100 per ton. This is developed by a shaft but a short dis- 
tance above the Arroyo, and about 20 feet from the bank of 
the stream. The mine eonsequently became filled with wa- 
ter and was abandoned. 

Santo Domitius mine is situated southwest of Jesus Maria, 
about five miles. The mine is developed by a shaft at the 
surface, and a tunnel at the foot of the mountain, tapping 
the vein. The principal owner is Jesus Solis. A ten-stamp 
mill is being erected to reduce the ore at the mine. A 
small five-stamp prospecting mill has hitherto been used. 
The tunnel reaches the heart of the vein and is over 1200 
feet in length. The ore is abundant and assays on an aver- 
age about $75 per ton. 

Good accounts continue to come from the Batopilas mines 
in Chihuahua. Ex-Govenor Shepherd writes that he has 
ready over |600,000 worth of ore, and that the mines are 
working now in "bonanza." A piece of ore, weighing 148 
pounds, and valued at $1,680 has been forwarded as a sam- 
ple of the mine's production. It is stated that the Batopilas 
mine, during its first year, without machinery, paid $160,000 
besides the sum ot $57,000 set apart for mills, and a balance 
of $180,000 retained in its treasury, Mr. Robinson, formerly 
of Durango, whom I met recently, fully confirms the reports 
of the richness of the Batopilas mines. 

The San Jose de Bravo mine is located 23 miles form 
Jesus Maria, in a southwest direction. This mine was first 
discovered and worked about thirty-two years ago, by Sigs 
Devaley Y Lopez Y Cia. Eeliable information as to the 
history of the mine is difficult to obtain. It is reported that 
$700,000 were extracted from this mine in two years, while 
in bonanza. The population of Bravo at that time was 
about 1000. The owners of the mine squandered the pro- 
ceeds, and died in comparative poverty- The manner of 
working, was the usual Mexican style of extracting the rich 
ores only, and on the abandonment of the property, the 
gambucinos completed its ruin by extracting the pillars 
and thereby causing the destruction of the workings. The 
mine is now owned by Mr. Hepburn. 

The Pertenencia extends 2400 feet. Eighteen hundred 
K. N. E. of the mouth of the lower tunnels, and Six hundred 
feet in a S. S. W. direction. There are three parallel veins, 
named respectively; San Franguilino, San Bonifacio and 
San Antonio. The first has an average width of 8 to 14 feet 



160 

of ore varying in richness. The second is completely cover- 
ed with the veins of the old workings, so that no exact re- 
port can be had of it. The third vein is also in like manner 
covered. A tunnel 250 feet long, and two or three shafts 
have been sunk. One of these shafts is called the San Fran- 
guihno, and the other the San Bonifacio. One of the work- 
ings was called the Dolores, and the other DulcesNombres. 
The first is about 200 feet above the Arroyo Bravo, and the 
second about 500 feet. The assay reaches from $20 to over 
$2,500 per ton. Abundance of wood and water are adja- 
cent. 

The La Soledad is about three milles due north of Je- 
sus Maria. The vein of this mine runs southwest and north- 
east, and dips southerly at an angle of 40°. The walls are 
more or less well defined, and are of porphyhy and green 
serpentine. An old mine, called the Jesus Maria mine ad- 
joins the Pertenencia, that carries a low grade ore in great 
abundance, assaying from $30 to $35 per ton. Tunnels and 
shafts have been sunk on the vein of La Soledad, but they 
are filled with water, and mostly caved in. Mr. Theo. A. 
P. Brown who reported on this mine from which we obtain 
the data states in his opinion "that there exists still large 
quantities of ore, and of considerable value, there is not the 
slightest doubt . The tunnel of Soledad commences about 
15 feet above the Arroyo, It is run on the vein which is a- 
bout 6 feet wide, but pay ore is only found on the foot wall, 
and is about 12 inches wide throughout the upper works. 
At bottom of mine, now under water, the owner says the pay 
ore is a vara wide. I have made an average assay of 400 
cargas, equivalent to 60 tons, the result of which was silver, 
$67 86; gold, $19 94; total, $87 80. Later assays by same 
report, showed as high as $196 from mouth of tunnel." 



DUEA^aO. 



CHAPTER L 
Physical Features. 

A. large proportion of the state of Durango i8 situated 
apon the table-lands, and the capital, though surrounded in 
most maps by mountains, lies in the midst of a vast plain, 
which, to the north-east, extends, with few interruptions, as 
far as Chihuahua and Santa F^, in New Mexico. To the 
west, both north and south, the Sierra Madre extends, form- 
ing a barrier upon the Pacific side, and the hot low lands 
of Sinaloa occupy the space between the foot of the mount- 
ains and the Pacific Ocean. The state is bounded on the 
north and north-west by Chihuahua, and on the east by Co- 
ahuila, and on the south-east by Zacatecas, and on the south 
by Jalisco, and south-west by Sinaloa. It is completely sur- 
rounded by Mexican territory, and is not considered as one 
of the border states, though we have included it in our 
work on account of its location and important interests con- 
nected with those states on the frontier. 

The state of Durango is divided into 13 districts, as fol- 
lows: Durango, Nombre de Dios, Mesquital, Cuencame, 
Uzas, Mapimf, San Juan de Guadalupe, San Juan del Rio; 
Indee, Papasquiero, El Oro, Tamasula, and San Dimas. The 
state has but few manufactures. Its riches consist almost 
entirely in mines and agricultural produce, which last is so 
considerable that the lands already brought into cultivation 
are supposed to be sufficient for the support of a popula- 
tion five times as large as the State now contains. Conse- 
quently, it has considerable trade with the surrounding re- 
gion. 

The raising of stock is carried on extensively also; most 
of the estates, besides being devoted to agricultural products, 
are also devoted to the raising of large herds of horned cat- 
tle, horses, mules, and sheep, of which last 150,000 are sent 
every year to the Mexican market. The Hacienda de ] i 
Sarca alone possesses a stock of 200,000 sheep and 40,00u 
11 161 



162 

mules and horses. That of Ramas, which consists of 400 
"sitios" or sheep ranches, has 80,000 sheep, and the Guati- 
mape 40,000 oxen and cows. The valley of Poanos, about 
45 miles from the capital east, contains nothing but corn 
lands. It is watered by a river which runs through the 
center of the valley, and on this river are nine "haciendas de 
triego'' (corn estates) in immediate succession, which supply 
the capital with flour of the very best quality, at from $6 to 
$8 per funega. Sugar might be extensively raised in the 
valley of the Sierra Madre, where water abounds and cli- 
mate might also be selected at pleasure. Sugar is at pres- 
ent brought from the valley of Cuencame at a distance of 
250 leagues. It sells at an enormous price — $5 per arroba, 
and often at $10. Indigo and coffee might likewise be 
reckoned among the natural productions, as they are found 
wild in the barrancas or ravines of the Sierra. Sugar, we 
believe, is raised to a small extent in some of the valleys. 

Mr. Ruxton describes the ranchos and haciendas as fol- 
lows: " The ranchos and haciendas in Durango and Chihua- 
hua are all inclosed by a high wall, flanked at the corners 
by circular bastions loop-holed for musketry. The entrance 
is by a large gate which is closed at night, and on the azates 
or flat roof of the building a sentry is constantly posted day 
and night during Indian troubles. Round the corral are the 
dwellings of the peones, the casa grande or proprietor's 
house being generally at one end and occupying one or more 
sides of the square." He goes on to speak of large herds of 
cattle and horses to be found on the plains, but of one dis- 
trict he says: "From El Gallo to Mapimi a mule track leads 
the traveler through a most wild and broken country, per- 
fectly deserted, rugged sierras rising from the mesquite- 
covered plains, which are sterile and entirely destitute of 
water. This part of the country is far out of the beaten 
track from Durango to Chihuahua." Thus it is seen that 
sterile tracts are also to be found in this state. The whole 
of the state is mountainous and contains no rivers, except a 
few small streams. 




AMfflliJ 



163 

CHAPTER n. 

City of Durango. 

Of the Gty of Durango he says: " The City of Durango 
was founded by Yelasco el Primero, and it may be consid- 
ered the ' ultima thule ' of the civilized portion of Mexico. 
Beyond it to the north and north-west stretch away the vast 
uncultivated and unpeopled plains of Chihuahua, the Bol- 
son de Mapimi, and the arid deserts of the Gila." The dis- 
tance to Mexico City is 650 miles from Durango, the capital 
of the state, which is situated 65 leagues north-west of Za- 
catecas. The population is 22,000. The state had, in 1876, 
185,000. Both the city of Victoria and most of the other 
towns of Durango — Tamasula, Sianori, Mapimi, San Dimas, 
Canelas, Cuencame — take their origin from the mines. 

The town of Victoria, or Durango, is situated in the plain 
heretofore mentioned, and is the principal town of the state. 
The streets are pretty regular, and the town contains a large 
plaza called the Plaza Mayor, one theater and other public 
buildings, which were built by Zambrano, a rich mine- 
owner, who is supposed to have extracted from his mines at 
San Dimas and Guarisamey, upwards of thirty mi) lions of 
dollars. 

The capitol is located here, a mint, and the Casa del 
Apartado, (a place for the separation of gold from silver) a 
glass manufactory, a tannery, and a fabrica de tobacos. The 
police of the town is well organized, and robberies almost 
unknown. Legal proceedings are summary, the legisla- 
ture having passed a law which concludes legal proceedings 
in three days, in cases of robbery. 

Tobacco is produced, also, in the State, to some extent. 

There is much trade at this point, principally in bullion 
from the mines, and among the principal business firms 
may be mentioned, Julio Hildebrand Succesores, Door- 
man & Co., Giron, Stahlknecht & Co., Francisco Gurza & 
Co., Juambels Hermanos, and Francisco Alvarez & Co. 

The towns of Villa del Nombre de Dios, San Juan del 
Rio, and Cinco Senores de Kazas, are almost the only cities in 
the State connected with mines. The two first are sup- 
ported by an extensive trade in "vino mescal," (a sort of 
brandy distilled from the maguey or American aloe, some- 
times called the century plant, which requires from seven 
to ten years to develop. 

The last-named town is supported by the cotton planta- 



164 

tions situated upon the banks of the river Nazas. The 
alaeran (or small scorpion) excepted, Durango is very 
pleasant, and the chmate is delightful and healthy, and the 
people fairer and finer-looking than in any part of Mexico I 
have yet seen. 

Bath Houses of Dnrango. 

We are indebted to Dr. Benjamin of San Jose, for 
the following. "The hot springs located at the upper part 
of the city, furnish water for nearly the whole city. A stone 
aqueduct conducts the water through the centre of the prin- 
cipal streets. The stream is about three feet wide, by one 
and one-half feet deep. Near the source of this stream, are 
built a great many bath houses, all built of stone. The bath 
tubs are of masonry and a number\of them are 12 by 12 
feet in diameter and 5 or 6 feet deep. The temperature of 
the water is about 80°. You can take a bath in the large 
rooms for twenty-five cents. There are a great many small 
rooms — prices, six to twelve cents. The population are very 
fond of bathing, and I do not wonder, when I remember how 
fine and clean are the bath tubs, and how pleasant is the 
temperature of the water." 

From Durango to Mazatlan. 

Further than Durango no wheeled vehicle can go, so wo 
disposed of our ambulances, and took it mule back, paying 
at the rate of $12 per mule for passenger and baggage. Four 
miles from Durango the wagon road gave out, and we took 
a path which wound up rugged clifi:s until near camp. When 
we came to a mountain mesa. Our course lay to the west- 
ward, and for the first few miles, our road was good and we 
had a comprehensive view. In consequence of the dangers 
which beset the road, it is customary for travelers to ren- 
dezvous at Durango, and travel in large parties. We made 
a terrific descent to-day, at the "bottom of which dashed a 
beautiful mountain stream, and up we climbed again to t^e 
top of another mountain. Our camp is among beautiful 
pines, and flocks of noisy parrots are flying over us, on their 
passage from the nut forests. Here is said to begin our dan- 
gerous road; near by are the skulls and bones of some mur- 
dered travelers, placed on a pile of stones. The road next 
morning is quite rough; in fact, a mere path, winding through 
dark woods, and over precepitous heights. These wild soli- 



165 

tudes are charming, the pine forming arches over head, the 
earth carpeted with green grass, and at short intervals cool 
springs of water. The days are warm, the night cool. On 
the next day we camped in a beautiful pine grove, on an em- 
inence, overlooking a pretty little vale. In the midst of the 
grove stands a high rude cross, said to mark the spot where 
the banished bishop of Durango performed mass. A grand 
temple, whose pillars are the forest-monarchs, and whose 
dome blue Heaven. The next day our path passed through 
a beautiful mountain country of pine woods and gushing 
streams, our every step still beset with the melancholy sight 
of human skulls. Our next encampment, was in the bend 
of a beautiful bold mountain stream, — a desirable location 
for a settlement, soil good, building material abundant, and 
a natural site for a mill. Shortly after leaving camp the 
next morning, the foot passengers and some of the horse-men 
separated from us, taking a nearer but rougher route to 
Mazatlan. 

The roads parted near the piloncillos, a collection of 
curious, cone-shaped rocks. Among the footmen were some 
mountain cargadores now carrying loads of apples. They 
carry their loads on their backs, keeping them in place 
by means of a strap across the foreheads. These men are 
employed to carry heavy machinery where it is impossible 
to use animals; they also carry the mails between Durango 
and Mazatlan, making the round trip in eight days, for which 
they are paid $15. They keep up a brisk trot all day, 
munching their tortillas as they run, pursuing their way over 
places impassable for even the sure-footed mule. They do 
not wear shoes, but sandals orguaraches, as do also the mule- 
teers, merely pieces of rawhide cut to fit the sole of the foot, 
and kept in place by thongs; these they prefer to shoes, their 
feet becoming very hardy, suffering neither from cold nor the 
gravel which is continually sifting between the sandals and 
their feet. We had traveled but four hours the next day 
before the order to halt was given. We have reached the 
jumping-off place and must give the mules a good rest for 
the morning's arduous task. For the last five days we have 
been shut up in dark primeval forests, pursuing our rough 
path over heights and along ravines, but now we have 
reached the pinnacle to which we have been ascending ever 
since we left Durango, and in the morning will commence 
to descend. 



166 
A Grand Vie-w. 

By ascending a little eminence near camp, and walking 
a short distance through the woods, I came upon one of the 
grandest and most sublime displays of mountain scenery, I 
ever beheld. Standing on a rocky peak, I hung, as it were, 
over an abyss extending below me for thousands of feet — I 
may say for miles — I could see a stream, which resembled 
a silver thread, and farms along its bank; it seemed I could 
throw a stone so that it would fall within their peaceful 
premises; far below hung white clouds, and the blue ether 
seemed to envelop me, and on every hand, rose mountain 
peak on mountain peak, in awful sublimity. But, from my 
lofty perch, I could command them all, and far to the west- 
ward the mountains sank away and the sun's slanting rays 
reflected from the Pacific Ocean. From this place, although 
our destination is almost within the scope of our vision, it 
will take us seven days to reach it, and truly when I cast my 
eye over this rough vista, it seems the mountain barriers 
could never be passed. 

We began the next morning to descend from our lofty em- 
inence, and reached Duraznito about 2 o'clock P. M. Our 
road was a winding, terrific stairway of twelve miles; the 
glimpses of the grand and beautiful tilled me with awe and 
ecstasy. We have changed climates in the course of a few 
hours. This morning we were shivering from cold, and now 
we seek the shade ot the fig tree and bless the soft wind. 
Peach trees are in bloom about us. This little place is situ- 
ated, as it were, on a shelf of the mountain, by which it is 
shadowed, and still beneath it lies a deep gorge or valley. 
We are now in one of the finest gold and silver-bearing re- 
gions in Mexico. 

A short distance from Duraznito, and at the foot of the 
mountain, we found ripe blackberries. Up6n reaching the 
summit of the mountain we had a fine view. Far beneath 
us was Duraznito, the smoke of its humble, tile-roofed dom- 
icils ascending in spiral columns, and the deep valley still 
further down, and the grand mountains, that seemed like the 
giants of creation, basking in the rosy dawn. Here is cer- 
tainly mountain scenery unrivaled by any in the world. 
The lakes of Switzerland would be but drops in the infinity 
of the natural grandeur about us. A narrow trail winds for 
the most part along the sides of immense mountains, which 
is just wide enough to admit our mules single file, with tre- 
mendous heights rising perpendicularly above us — an awful 



1G7 

gulf of space below us. One false step would cost a life. 
The sun was intensely hot whenever we were exposed to it, 
but for the most part we were protected by the shadow of 
the mountains, around and over which we were winding, 
looking, in comparison, like a procession of ants upon the 
dome of St. Peter's, Rome. This tiresome and perilous road 
was cheered by the sound of laughing rivulets and there is 
something exquisitely pleasant about these mountain soli- 
tudes. We had traveled hardly an hour along a more fear- 
ful trail than ever, a portion ofthe road called Buenos Ayres, 
when one of the mules lost his footing and fell, bounding 
down the mountain side as an india rubber ball would down 
a flight of stairs, and dashing to pieces below. The train 
moved on as if nothing had happened, it not being an unu- 
sual occurence, and camped for the night upon a level 
eminence a short distance further on. 

We broke camp early next morning, and commenced our 
day's travel by ascending, as usual, and passing along more 
frightful clifls — warily, from yesterday's accident. Passed 
Piedra Gorda, quite a rancho, beyond which we came in 
view of a mountain called El Pyraraido, or The Pyramid, a 
magnificent freak of nature; the base is covered with dark 
woods, from which shoots up a shaft of solid bare stone, ta- 
pering gradually to the top. It is certainly grander than all 
the pyramids of Egypt combined. 

As we descended the climate became warmer, and instead 
of pines, we passed through groves of flowering trees and 
lemon trees bending with yellow fruit. By midday we had 
reached the bottom of the gorge, or base, as it were, of the 
main range of the Sierra Madre, and on the banks of a stream 
running westward. Our road lay along this stream, crossing 
and recrossing it several times; we camped at Agua Caliente. 
Before reaching camp we passed some mud huts and by El 
Favor, where an arastra, or ataua, was in operation, working 
silver ore. It is sunset, and thousands of parrots and flocks 
of birds of beautiful plumage are floating down from the ad- 
jacent mountains to roost in the woods along the stream. 
We started early next morning, to take advantage of the 
cool of the day, to cross the El Espinaso del Diablo, or 
"The Devil's Backbone" — (hereafter described) - a fear- 
ful mountain ridge, and said to be the last of our 
very bad road, camping on the river at El Palmar. 
The next day our trail lay, for the most part, through dense 
tropical woods. Our attention was attracted by the strange 
varieties of trees, and especially the banyan, whose roots 



168 

spring from the upper branches, and trend down to the earth 
and then take root. Great numbers of parrots flocked 
through the woods, almost deafening us with their screams. 
Our party shot several, and we made a feast of parrot, which 
we found very palatable — in fact delicious. 

After a warm day's travel we arrived next day at Puerto 
San Marcos, our road pursuing the river all day. We camped 
at a miserable little rancho, one day's travel from Mazatlan, 
The weather was quite warm, but the trail was more tolera- 
ble, passing several ranchos and plantain groves, and fields 
enclosed with hedges of orgona cactus, planted like posts in 
the ground. On the next day we reached a broad wagon 
road, within a few miles of Mazatlan, and on an eminence 
near the city the sea broke upon our view. Just before en- 
tering the city we underwent the scrutiny of the Custom- 
House officers. — From a traveler's report 

The Devil's Backbone. 

On the road trom Durango to Mazatlan one of the grand- 
est scenes presented by nature is the ridge that juts out 
from one mountain to another, called " El Espinaso del Di- 
ablo." It seems that the surroundings suggested the not 
very euphonious connection with the anatomy of his Sa- 
tanic Majesty. The traveler cautiously picks his way 
over a road over this ridge with precipices falling 
almost perpendicularly for thousands of feet on either 
side. The trail is very narrow and over hard, smooth 
rocks that the storms of thousands of years have failed to 
wear away. It gives the traveler a sensation that he will 
never forget, as he looks upon either side into an abyss 
yawning at his very feet, and the sight is so fearful that he 
hastens over, shuddering at depths that make the stoutest 
fear to peer into. One traveler describes his feelings by 
saying that he involuntarily closed his eyes to shut off the 
fearful sight before him. Another says the precipices on 
either side are '."nmense chasms or clefts in the mountains, 
which are so deep that you can hardly see the bottom if the 
attempt is made to peer into their depths. In every direc- 
tion high and lofty peaks extend as far as the eye can reach, 
lifting their rugged mountain tops with bare rocky summits 
heavenwards for hundreds of miles. This high ridge is re- 
ally the summit of one of the mountains and presents the 
only route practicable for pack trains over the mountains. 
It is the highway that has been used for many years, in fact 



169 

ever since communication was opened in this direction be- 
tween Durango and Mazatlan. A former soldier, in tiie 
Mexican army says that he was in a company that went 
over this ronte, and while crossing the ridge the soldiers 
were ordered to cross on a run. Singularly no accident oc- 
curred, though he said he shudders yet as he recalls his 
feelings while keeping his place in file with his comrades 
rushing behind him. 

The Short Route to Mazatlan. 

One of the early pioneers, who came to California at an 
early day by way of Durango and Mazatlan, describes a 
trip he made in taking the short route from Dnrango to 
Mazatlan. This same gentleman is one of the prominent 
citizens of Sacramento, and from his own lips we learned 
the following Says he : We had heard that there was a 
shorter route, and, being impatient, concluded to risk the 
trip. We had heard that it was a fearful ride and too 
dangerous for horses or even mules, and that none but car- 
gadores, or footmen, dared to undertake the trip, but we 
concluded that we could go anywhere a Mexican could, and 
so started upon the route, the narrator acting as leader. 
We found that the road was rough enough at the start, and 
that it led along a trail on the side of very precipitous 
mountains, so narrow that it was impossible to pass should 
any one be met on horseback. At last the trail seemed to 
dwindle to almost nothing upon the side of one of the 
steepest mountains; in fact a fearful precipice yawned at our 
very feet on one side, on the other and above us rose an al- 
most perpendicular wall. Just ahead a smooth, slanting 
rock jutted out with its slippery, pohshed surface inclin- 
ing into the abyss beneath us. I did not see it until I 
had passed around a jutting portion of the mountain, and 
mj^ horse stood upon such a narrow ledge tliat I dare not 
dismount; I knew that if I did that my horse might topple 
over and we both be hurled to destruction, so I concluded I 
must take my chances and make my horse climb over that 
smooth surface that appeared almost certain death, although 
my hair stood on end, as my horse, a faithful and sure-footed 
animal picked his way carefully across. I arrived safely, but 
it was the most foolhardy act of my life. Fortunately my 
companions had not yet arrived at the narrowest point and 
I was enabled to warn them to dismount and lead their ani- 
mals across. He concluded by saying that he found after- 



170 

ward that a Mexican and his mule had tumbled off that 
same rock only a few days before. The balance of the road 
was the roughest we had ever traveled, in some places cov- 
ered with large boulders that it seemed almost impossible 
for a horse or even a mule to cross over them. We publish 
this as a warning to the many travelers who might by mis- 
take undertake to travel over this same route, 

Rancho de Morteros. 

The greatest part of Durango is mountainous in the ex- 
treme. In but few instances throughout the whole of the 
State are ranches found that make any pretenses at agri- 
culture, the principal object being to supply the immediate 
wants of the owner of the property, and perhaps a limited 
local trade. Cattle-raising and mining form the principal 
pursuit. The buildings are mostly of adobe. Among the 
exceptions to this rule may be mentioned the buildings upon 
the Rancho de Morteros. All of the improvements are of 
solid masonrj'^ and were built by one of the Spanish nobility 
long before the independence of Mexico drove its wealthy 
occupants from their possessions. This rancho is situated 
in the southern part of Durango, some twenty miles north 
of Nombre de Dios. The main buildings contain two 
stories and are built of solid freestone masonry, and form an 
immense square with eighty rooms, the largest of which 
are twenty feet square. The floor is inlaid with tiles of 
burnt clay, both on the upper and lower floors. The whole 
building has the appearance of a fortress or square castle 
with bastions on each corner loopholed for musketry. The 
only entrance is through a door of solid timbers four inches 
thick protected completely with nail heads, entirely cover- 
ering the outside. An inner square, or court, with no roof 
is in the center of the structure, with a porch bounding it on 
all sides, the roof of the porch being supported by solid 
stone pillars about one foot in diameter. This court admits 
the only light into the building through inner windows. The 
upper story is reached by a stone staircase from the lower 
floor. The ceiling is made of massive timbers, upon 
which are laid the tiles of the upper floor. The roof is 
covered with tiles of the same material, and is flat with 
barely enough incline to drain the water from the roof. 
Adjoining this building is the church, also of solid masonry, 
with tower containing four bells. Stone acqueducts extend- 
ing for two miles conduct water from a spring to the haci- 



171 

enda and also to a large mill built of the same durable ma- 
terial. The corral for the stock, and even the fences extend- 
ing for miles, are all built of stone. Six large granaries 
20x100 feet each are constructed for the grain that is grown 
on this ranch. The grain patio or threshing floor is also of 
solid masonry. The huts of the peons surround this feudal 
castle who labor for their master in the fields surrounding. 
These large cornfields extend for miles and are cultivated in 
the primitive Mexican fashion with immense returns to the 
owners. Dr. Benjamin Cory, of San Jose, while visiting 
Durango, stopped for some time at this rancho, and we are 
indebted to him for the above description. The Doctor was 
much pleased with his visit to this princely estate and rode 
over the land wtth a view to its purchase for parties in San 
Jose. He describes it as the most desirable of any property 
be found in the State of Durango. 



Mines-or Durango. 

The gold mine of La Republicana is located on the^side 
of a high mountain near Guadalupe. It is said to be a very 
valuable mine, as far as richness is concerned, but the vein 
is narrow and the rock of the greatest possible hardness. 
It is owned by the Yriarte family, who, unable to work it 
tor lack of capital, merely keep the mine worked just 
enough to hold possession. The mine might pay well, as 
one traveler reports its assays at about 70 per cent. Five 
leagues southeast by south of Guadalupe is the old mine of 
Espiritos Santo, another mine of the Spanish times now 
under water. There are several other old mines in the vi- 
cinity ot Guadalupe, but they are so filled up with rubbish 
that it is diflicult to speak of their richness with any cer- 
tainty, although fabulous stories are told of some of them, 
which seem probable enough from the fact that Guadalupe 
stands in their midst, a proof of mineral wealth and success- 
ful mining. 

The Vaca San Marcus and Bismarck mines are described 
by Dr. Benjamin Cory of San Jose, as follows . " These 
mines are located in the district of ParriUis, about sixty 
miles south of the city of Durango and about twelve miles 
from the town of Kombre de Dios. In 1848 these mines 
yielded in silver ore $700,000, according to a certificate 
which I have from the Superintendent ot the Mint in Du- 
rango. The owners at that time were only 450 feet deep in 



172 

the mine, but were forced to abandon the works on account 
of the quantity- of water. Our company organized in Sac- 
ramento some three years ago have denounced the mine 
and have been in active prosecution of the work ever since 
the denouncement. We have steam hoisting-works and 
pump in operation, the first ever seen in the State of Du- 
rango. By the latest news our pump has lowered the wa- 
ter about 400 feet below the surface, and we expect to get 
into the old bonanza in a short time. We have but a few 
weeks since shipped from Sacramento a pump of large ca- 
pacity. We have at the mine an engineer, four California 
miners, a carpenter, a blacksmith and a number of Mexi- 
cans employed in and about the mine. Wood and timber, 
we find, is very cheaply and easily obtained. I had two 
assays made of the ore from our mines, one by the Profes- 
sor of Chemistry in Santa Clara College, who reports his 
assay at $250.08 per ton and lead 43 per cent. Thomas 
Price, of San Francisco, assayed a piece for me, and he gives 
as a net result : silver, $325.02 per ton." 

Dr. B. Cory, from whom we obtained the foregoing, is one 
of the directors of the company, as he states, organized 
three years ago under the name of the " Yaca, San Marcus 
and Bismarck Mining Company," with Mr. Fred. Werner as 
President ; P. A. Grace, Secretary ; and E. E. Lyle, Lewis 
Goodwin, Geo. W, Chesley, Dr. B. Cory and Fred. Werner 
as Directors. 

The Guarisamey mines are located north of the mineral 
Guarisamey. " There are eight mines in this mineral dis- 
trict which are known as Serano, Copalaja, Enciuillas, Co- 
bres, La Gallera, Baragon, and several others, belonging to 
Mr. Frank McManus, an American resident of Chihuahua. 
These mines yield ore, the average of which gives $140 per 
ton. The last person who worked them regularly, Mr. San- 
chez, extracted yearly a profit of $78,000 in silver. His 
mode of working was in the old Mexican patio amalgamat- 
ino; manner — o-rindino^ his ores with the arastra. Still, with 
all the disadvantages attending the want of proper machin- 
ery he was, as can be seen from the figures above, enabled 
to realize a handsome yearly profit. Upon the advent of 
Maximilian he sided with the Imperiahsts and took flight 
to save his life, having sold his mines for a mere pittance. 
Some tin placers are also found in this State. 






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173 

The principal mining districts of Durango are : San Dimas, 
Gavilanes, Guarisamej, Tamasula, Canelas, Sianori, Topia, 
Picaclios, Biramoa, Bajada, Papasquiera, Guanacevi, Indee El 
Oro, Cuencam^ and Mapimi. The other mining districts 
given by Garcia Cubasare: Topia, Tominil, Corpus, Comitala, 
Durango, Noria, Avino and Coneto. 

The Mapimi mines have been worked for centuries, enrich- 
ing their owners for several generations. Originally these 
mines were worked largely by the Spaniards, until their ex- 
pulsion in 1829. Since that time they have been worked by 
the Mexicans until a few years ago, when they were pur- 
chased by Mr. A. B. Sawyer, and have since been worked by 
him with very gratifying results. The following statement 
of Mr. Sawyer we herewith present as his report upon the 
Mapimi mines, that have been consolidated by the Durango 
Mapimi Mining Company of Council Bluffs, incorporated at 
Council Bluffs, Iowa: 

There are eight separate mines consolidated and owned by 
this company, viz.: Ojuela, San Yicente, Socobon, Santa Rita, 
El Carmen, Santa Maria, La Soledad and San Judas. 

Ojuela mine is situated five (5) miles from the works, and is 
870 feet in depth, with a shaft 768 feet deep. It is a great deposit 
of lead carbonates from eight (8) to one hundred (100) feet in 
width, and carries gold from $5.00 to $6.00, and silver from 
24 to 33 ounces, and lead 15 per cent, to the ton. 

San Yicente is similar ore, lying about 360 yards to the 
south. This mine is 675 feet deep, and carries from 15 ounces 
to 42 ounces in silver, and from $2.50 to $9.00 in gold. The 
ore body is from five (5) to fifty (50) feet wide. 

Socobon is situated two hundred yards south-east of Ojuela, 
and yields from fifteen (15) to twenty-eight (28) ounces in 
silver, and carries from $3.00 to $4.50 in gold, and runs from 
15 per cent, to 50 per cent, in lead. This mine has a tunnel 
150 feet long, and has a depth of about 825 feet. At the bot- 
tom of the shaft, on the Ojuela mine, at a small expense, this 
mine can be made to communicate by a "cross cut," and also 
with the San Yicente, working advantageously these three 
mines through this one shaft, saving two additional shafts. 

Santa Rita, one of the principal mines, is a continuation of 
the Socobon, and connected with it ; yields from twenty (20) 
to seventy (70) ounces of silver, and carries from $2.50 to 
$20.00 in gold to the ton. The ore body is from three (3) to 
forty (40) feet wide, with a depth of from 300 to 450 feet. 

El Carmen is quartz and carbonate of lead ; new mine ; 
yields from 50 ounces to 140 ounces in silver, with an ore 



174 

body from two (3) to ten (10) feet wide. This mine has been 
worked to the depth of 75 feet, and is located six miles from 
the works. 

Santa Maria or Tecolotes is a new mine of quartz ore, 
worked to the depth of twenty-five (25) feet. It is situated 
in the main body of the Bufa Mountains, with an ore body 
from one (1) to four (4) feet wide. This mine has yielded 
very rich ore, as high as 1,000 ounces to the ton. However, 
as will be seen, but little work has been done so far on this 
property. 

La Soledad and Las Arcos, one mine with two entrances, 
not communicating one with the other, is quartz ore, and 
yields from 24 to 120 ounces of silver per ton, and is from 
three (3) to eight (8) feet wide, and in some places twenty (20) 
feet wide, and is about 300 feet deep, lying to the south-east 
of the Santa Rita. 

San Judas is lead carbonates, ranging from 15 to 24 ounces 
per ton in silver. It is a great body of ore communicating 
with the Santa Eita. It carries gold from $2.00 to $4.50 per 
ton, and has been worked to the depth of 900 feet. 

The company in possession of the above property are 
making extensive preparations for the thorough working of 
their mines. They have purchased a large engine, two large 
boilers, two No. 5 Baker blowers, and three large smelting 
furnaces, with all the outfit, to be sent to their mines, which 
have cost the company about $50,000. This, with the smelters 
and works they already have at the mines, should make a 
handsome return from the investment. We have herein 
given illustrations of the works at these mines, that are among 
the most celebrated of Durango. 

" Guarisamey, the head of the surrounding district, owes its 
discovery to the lode of Tecolota, which crosses the high road 
to Cosala, in Sinaloa. The abundance and richness of its ores 
soon brought prospectors, who discovered the veins of Arana, 
Cinco Seiiores, Bolanos, Pisamide, Candelaria, Dolores, and 
Topia, with many others, every one of which was worked 
profitably. These lodes, or the most of them, were de- 
nounced by Zambrano, and all produced bonanzas, some of 
which were very rich. 

"The mine of Arana was remarkable for containing be- 
tween two small strips of rich ore, a cavity filled (like the 
bovedas of the mine in Zavala at Catorce) with a rich metal- 
liferous dust, composed almost entirely of gold and silver. It 
was also distinguished by many of those rich spots commonly 
called ' clavos,' which, although of smaU extent in a hori- 



175 

zontal position, were constant in perpendicular depth. The 
' clavos ' were worked to the depth of 180 varas, though the 
mine had no shaft ; and during the whole of this space, the 
most ordinary ores yielded from 10 to 15 marcs to the monton 
of fifteen quintals, while the richest are said to have produced 
from 70 to 105."— [Ward on Mexico in 1827.] 

The tin mines of Durango have lately been opened by the 
Durango Tin Mining Co., a large amount of capital having 
been invested. It is stated that the Durango Tin Mining Co. 
is working some 75 men, and in March last began smelting. 
No shipments of tin have yet been made. Mexican wagon 
freighters have offered to put the tin down at Laredo, Texas, 
for two and a half cents per pound, and a German firm has 
offered to deliver it to New York from the mines at four and 
a half cents per pound. The Mexican Central Railroad will 
reach the mines during the present year, and another, the 
Mexican National, at a later period. When these roads are 
completed the company can ship its tin by way of El Paso, 
Eagle Pass, or Laredo. Some specimens of the ore assay as 
high as 75 per cent, pure tin» 

Ieon Mines of Dueango. — The Journal of Charcoal 
Iron Workers furnishes the following interesting account of 
the Piedra Azul (Blue Stone) Iron Works, situated on the 
banks of the Rio Tunal, some five miles south of Durango, 
Mexico. These works consist of a blast furnace, 35 x 8 inches ; 
a heating furnace, a puddling fuinace, one train of rolls, two 
sinking fires, one wooden helve hammer, and three smith 
fires. Power is obtained from a masonry dam across the Rio 
Tunal, giving a head and fall of 17 feet. There are four 
wheels — two over-shot, one under-shot and one turbine. 

The blast furnace is built of stone. The bottom of the cruci- 
ble is 24 inches square ; the top, which is 5 feet 6 inches higher, 
is 32 inches square. The bosh then slopes, at an angle of 55° 
from the vertical, to 96 inches diameter. The crucible and 
bosh are built of sandstone, brought by wagons 200 miles. 
The shaft of the furnace is constructed of a silica fire-brick, 
made from clay and crushed quartz. It runs nearly straight 
for the first ten feet above the bosh, and is then drawn in by 
curved lines to the open top, 32 inches in diameter. 

Blast is delivered cold from two 2-^-inch open tuyeres, the 
air being supplied by two iron blast cylinders, 60 inches diam- 
eter and 5 feet stroke, placed horizontally, and operated by an 
over-shot wheel. The charge is raised by hand winch, on an 
inclined plane, to the tunnel head, and consists of one buggy of 
oak charcoal, seven to ten "batteas" of ore, two batteas of a 



176 

rotten limestone, and one-half battea of clay. These batteas are 
wooden dishes, and each contains two arrovas (501bs.) of ore. 

The charge may, therefore, be considered at from 350 to 
500 lbs. of ore, 50 lbs. of limestone, 15 lbs. of clay to 20 
bushels of charcoal. 

The average daily product of the furnace is 60 quintals 
(6,000 lbs.) pig iron, the ore yielding 60 per cent, in the fur- 
nace, and requiring one and three-quarter quintals of charcoal 
to one of iron = to 175 bushels of 20 lbs. to one ton (2,000 
lbs.) of pig iron. 

Connected with the furnace plant there is a puddling fur- 
nace and a heating furnace, in both of which pine wood is used 
for fuel. There are also two sinking fires, in which pig iron 
and scrap can be converted into blooms. A short wooden 
helve trip hammer, raised by four cams on a wheel revolving 
at right angles to the hammer helve, is used for shingling the 
loupes and puddle balls. The cams strike the helve back of 
the hammer head, and a spring piece assists in intensifying 
the force of the blow. 

Tlie smith fires use pine charcoal for fuel. The charcoal is 
made in the Sierra Madre Mountains in small heaps, by In- 
dians, and most of it is brought in upon the backs of burros. 
As these animals carry only 8 to 10 arrovas (200 to 250 lbs.), 
and in some instances can make but a trip to and from the 
iron works in three days, it is not surprising that oak charcoal 
sells at 12^ cents, and pine charcoal at 15 cents per arrova. 
Reduced to a bushel of 20 lbs., this would equal 10 cents per 
bushel for oak, and 12 cents for pine charcoal. 

The charcoal is of good quality, but much reduced in size 
by handling and transportation. The price of the charcoal 
could be considerably reduced if the iron works produced its 
own fuel from wood more convenient to it. 

Besides the iron works before described, the Iron Mountain 
Company, of Durango, Mexico, was incorporated in ISTew 
York, and now proposes to erect extensive works, consisting 
of a blast furnace, with capacity of 200 tons of iron per week, 
and a large foundry. Tliis last-named company hold the title 
to the whole of this immense iron deposit, called the Iron 
Mountain, near Durango, with the exception of one seventy- 
third, which is held by the former company. 

Ward, in his work on Mexico, in 1821, says, in speaking of 
the iron mines of Durango : "Durango might in two years be 
rendered the depot of iron forSombrerete, Zacatecas, Catorce, 
Batopilas, and all the mining districts south of Chihuahua 
[We might add, for the whole Republic], nor would the sue 



177 

cess of the iron mines already taken up at Encarnacion In- 
terfere with this prospect, as their market would be con- 
fined to the central mining states, beyond which, from the 
difficulties of communication, their operations would hardly 
be extended." (Ward on "Mexico," in 1827.) 
y This subject has attained more importance since the con- 
struction of railroads has been commenced throughout the 
Republic, and the cost of iron imported for rails is as fol- 
lows, taken from the "El Minero Mexican©'' of December 
9th, 1880: 

Per Ton. 

Steel rails in England, ... „ 128.00 

" Unrted States 31.00 

COST OF RAILS IN MEXICO. 

Price in England 128.00 

Freight to Vera Cruz 9.00 . 

Landing 2. 00 

Freight to Mexico according to tariff 54.32 

Total $93.32 

COST OF RAILS IN SAN LUIS POTOSI. 

In England f 28.00 

Freight to Tampico 9.00 

Landing 4.00 

Freight to San Luis Potosi 60.00 

Total., $101.00 

Cost of rails in Kew York $31.00 

Freight to Tampico 15.00 

Landing 4.00 

Freight to San Luis Potosi _ 60.00 

Total $110.00 

The JEl Minero Mexicano very naturally deduces from 
this that the rails had better be purchased in England, and 
imported to the ports of the republic, on account of the differ- 
ence in the price of the rails as well as the freight. But if 
the extensive iron mines of Durango were developed the 
rails could be manufactured in the republic at a less price 
than they can be imported from either of the points men- 
tionedj'-since the rails could be transported over the tabic 

lands of Durango, south-east to Mexico, over a railroad now 
12 * ' 



■ 178 

being built on a highway that is comparatively level, that 
j)uts the state in direct communication with the City of 
Mexico and the numerous railroads that are being built from 
that point throughout the republic. Then the rails could 
also be transported north to the Southern Pacific or Texas 
railways and shipped to El Paso, and from thence to Guay- 
mas and Mazatlau, or to Chihuahua, to the railroad that is 
being built from that point to El Paso, and through a prac- 
ticable pass in the mountains to Mazatlau, by way of Fuerte 
and Culiacan, or to Alamos and Guaymas. A large propor- 
tion of the territory of Duraugo, as we have seen, is situated 
upon the table lands, and the capital is in the midst of a 
vast plain, or rather in the south-western portion of the plain, 
that opens up a communication both to the north-east, and 
south-east to the points designated. On the west, however, 
and the south-west, the Sierra Madre extends, reaching the 
valleys and plains of Sinaloa by immense steppes or elevated 
plateaus, one above the other, which forms a barrier that 
is almost inaccessible, although a pass is reached on the 
north-west leading into Chihuahua, where the descent is 
more gradual, making communication practicable with Chi- 
huahua and Alamos, in Sonora, thence to Fuerte, and from 
thence to Culiacan and Mazatlan, and Cosala, a new wagon 
road having lately been built from Mazatlau to Cosala. The 
iron industry is a most important one to Mexico; and foreign 
capital, invested properly, would be of great value to the 
republic, as well as very remunerative to the owners. A 
foundry could be built at the mines, and rails manufactured, 
and all kinds of mining machinery, and thus a vast trade 
could be opened. Says Mr. Ward : 

" Iron abounds within a quarter of a league of the gates 
of Durango. The Cerro de Mercado is entirely composed 
of iron ores, of two distinct qualities, (crystallized and mag- 
netic) but almost equally rich, as they both contain from 60 
to 75 per cent, of pure iron. The operation of smelting 
these ores is attended with considerable difficulty. An iron 
foundry, lately set up upon the banks of the river, one 
league from JDurango, has failed, from the want of knowl- 
edge of the proper mode of treating the ores. A hacienda 
has been built in a situation where there is both water for 
machinerj^ and an abundant supply of timber and charcoal; 
but as the proprietors do not possess the means of construct- 
ing a road for carts, (although from the nature of the 
ojround, it niight be accomplished with a very inconsidera- 
' le outlay) the conveyance of the ores on mules to the 



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179 

reduction works materially diminishes the profits of the 
speculation. With regard to the difficulty of working 
them, it might undoubtedly be overcome, as from the 
affinity of the iron of El Mercado to that of Dannemora, 
Swedish forgemen would understand the nature of the proc- 
ess at once." 

Since the writing of Mr. Ward's book, the ore has been 
successfully treated, and manufactured into excellent mining 
tools, etc. 

Mr. Geo. F. Ruxton, in his valuable work, entitled, 
"Adventures in Mexico and the Rocky Mountains," pub- 
lished in 1848, says that *' this enormous mass of malleable 
iron, as he terms it, is isolated on the plain, and is supposed 
to be an aerolite, and is, consequently, not connected with 
any ledge or bed of ore. lie also says its composition and 
physical character is identified with certain aerolites which 
fell in 1751, in Hungary. It contains 75 per cent, of pure 
iron, according to the analysis of a Mexican chemist, and 
some specimens wliich Ilumboldt procured were analyzed 
by the celebrated Klaproth, with about the same result." 

We obtain the following data from a valuable pamphlet, 
published in Mexico in 1878, entitled, "El Cerro de Mer- 
cado de Durango por Federico Weidner," in which the 
writer compares very justly the difierence of the price of 
iron used in the foundry at Mazatlan with the price in En- 
gland and also at Durango, as follows: 

" At the port of Mazatlan, for example, in all iron of sec- 
ond fusion (pig iron) which is used in the establishment of 
Senor D. Joaquin Redo, as well as first material (or iron 
ore) the price per ton of 2,240 lbs. which is manufactured 
or melted in England, is as follows: 

First price of the invoice, per ton $15 to $25 

Freight by water, per ton 5 to 7 

Unloading and carriage by mules, per ton. . . 5 
Custom house duties, at 30 cts. per hundred, 5 

Total $36 

a little more or less per ton, or $1.60 per quintal. 

" In the place of English iron, if they want to use Du- 
rango iron, the cost at the foundry of Flores would be $3 to 
$4 per quintal, or $60 to $80 per ton. . 

"Adding to this the freight between Mazatlan and Durango 
at $8.50 per quintal, or $80 per ton, with the purchase price 



180 

at Mazatlan, at $60 to $80 per ton, makes a total of $156 per 
ton, more or less, or $7 per quintal." 

The iron of Mazatlan, at $6 to $10 per quintal, when cast 
by the piece, costs $12 to $16 for complicated work; but 
when half-fiuished or plain, it costs $8 per quintal, or $180 
per ton; so that in Durango, the minimum price is $15 per 
quintal, or $336 per ton. Adding to this the freight to 
Mazatlan, makes the minimum price for finished iron $20 
per quintal, or $448 per ton." 

This is sufficient argument, we take it, for the establish- 
ment of a foundry at Durango alongside of the Cerro de 
Mercado, or mountain of iron, in the immediate vicinity. 
The author goes on to show that since the first cost in En- 
gland is $20 per ton while it can be procured in their neigh- 
borhood for $1 to $6 in ore, and carriage to a foundry erect- 
ed would not make it more than $5 to $7. He also men- 
tions the existence of furnaces, retorts, and other apparatus 
which were abandoned by various parties np to 1856, on 
account of their being unable to successfully reduce the 
ore, and points out the fact that the ore of the Cerro de 
Mercado can be successfully treated and manufactured at a 
very great profit. He also publishes a scientific examina- 
tion of the ore and the surrounding locality, its extent and 
analysis, which we condense below. He goes on to explode 
an error that exists on the part of travelers and scientific 
men that this immense mass of iron is an aerolite, and pub- 
lishes in the pamphlet the geological structure or formation 
around and underneath it, and pronounces the aerolite the- 
ory a cabal on the Cerro de Mercado, and further that it is 
of volcanic origin; and points out the fact that the iron 
mines of England have produced 15,000,000 of quintals an- 
nually for the last 330 years, amounting to $9,900,000,000, 
or more than seven times the amount of gold and silver 
coined from all the mines of Mexico from 1690 to 1803. 
He says the Cerro de Mercado is 1,750 varas in length from 
east to west, and 400 varas in width, and the height from 
the surface of the plain of San Antonio 234 varas, which 
cuts it, as it were, in the middle horizontally, and the re- 
sulting estimate in cubic measurement is 60,000,000 cubic 
varas, and by analysis of the contents or percentage of pure 
iron it contains, estimates the amount of ore in the whole 
mass at more than 5,000,000,000 of quintals, from which he 
calculates that, taking the percentage of pure iron to be 50 
per cent., although it assays 75 per cent., the whole mass 
will then produce 2,500,000,000 quintals of metallic or pure 



181 

iron, and, estimating its value at $5 per quintal, it would rep- 
resent not less than the enormous sum of $12,500,000,000, or 
more than three times all the products of the mines of Mexico 
from 1772 to 1880, which we have estimated to be about 
$4,000,000,000. 

Further, in order to fully comprehend the immense amount 
of iron in this solid mass, by calculating the amount produced 
in England at fifteen millions of quintals annually for the 
last 330 years, the whole amount is 4,950 millions of quintals, 
or only a little over one third of the amount of pure iron con- 
taiaed in the Cerro de Mercado (calculating the amount at 
12,500,000,000 of quintals, valued at no less than from 60 
to 70 billions of dollars), which has been aptly termed a 
mountain of iron, and lies almost untouched, while the 
same metal now so much in demand within the bounda- 
ries of the Republic is imported from England (outside of 
late importations of machinery, locomotives, etc.), as we have 
already shown ; the difference in freight as well as first cost, 
giving the trade to England. 

The amount of iron which Mr. Weidner calculates to be in 
sight, or cropping out of the ground, is, as we have seen, 2,500, 
000,000 quintals (or cwt.) of pure iron ; but there is a much 
larger amount which wUl be seen as follows : — 

While, by actual measurement of this enormous mass, we 
have on the surface of the ground the above results ; yet we 
must remember that the great bulk of the ore lies beneath the 
surface, according to all precedents in iron deposits. Mr. 
Weidner himself says : 

" Thus it is, speaking only of the metal which is in sight 
on the surface of the ground. But it may be supposed that 
the quantity which is found below the surface is much 
greater, because it is thus with all metallic beds of this class ; 
and it is also proven by a little hill of the same nature, dis- 
tant easterly from the Cerro de Mercado about a quarter of 
a league (or three quarters of a mile); it rises about ten varas 
above the plain that extends towards the ranch of San 
Ignacio. This little hiU, which looks like a forest on the 
right-hand side of the accompanying plat, must form, with 
the principal "Cerro," a subterranean connection, and the 
conduits of both must penetrate like the roots of a tree to 
the very depths of the earth, there uniting with one great 
deposit of metals, of which both " Cerros" do not form more 
than a small part, which, giving way at some remote time to 
the pressure of subterranean vapors, burst in a liquid state, 
breaking and tearing to the surface of the earth and spread- 
ins: itself over it." 



182 

" This idea that the Cerro de Mercado has emanated from 
the bowels of the earth through some crevices, and that its 
subterranean mass extends to great distances and depths, is 
even corroborated by the fact that, in the extension of its 
central line towards the west, we find in the lands of the 
farms of Tapias and Murga a number of ferruginous veins, 
and extending the same line towards the east, it passes by a 
little hill, also of iron, which, it is said, is on the road to 
Panuco, and finally it enters the centre of Brena, whose 
volcanoes, by their black color, the great specific weight and 
quantity of alloy of its basaltic rocks, we may consider as 
contemporaneous, or the immediate precursors of the erup- 
tion of the Cerro de Mercado." Suffice it to say, that we 
may safely calculate that but one fifth of the amount of iron 
contained in this mountain crops out on the surface of the 
plain, and that beneath it lies an immense body of ore that is 
practically inexhaustible, extending for long distances, and 
that the mass must have been enormous to produce by its 
own irresistible bulk, aided by vapors, this most wonderful of 
all the mineral deposits of the world. Enough iron lies in 
this deposit to supply all the foundries of .both hemispheres 
for centuries to come, and the railroad communication now 
under headway will enable Mexico to place her iron in every 
markets While there are many mining enterprises in the 
republic worthy of investment, with promises of fabulous 
returns, we do not hesitate to say that the iron industries of 
Mexico will in the near future assume an importance that 
will equal, if not surpass, her silver productions, which are 
well known to have exceeded all other nations, and that the 
Cerro de Mercado will give this great iron, future to the 
Mexican Republic. 



Curious Caves of Durango. 

From Cosala, in Sinaloa, to the foot of the mountains, a 
iistance of five leagues due east, Santa Ana, a small rancho, 
IS situated, and near it are some mines of silver and magis- 
tral. The road here enters a canon, and the traveler soon 
gets enveloped in the mountains, which rise almost perpen- 
dicularly. Strata of porphyry, granite, limestone and alabaster 
are found on each side. 

A small stream runs along the bottom of the cafion, and 
leads up to the table-land, which soon commences. On the 
boundaries of Durango, immense herds of cattle are seen 



183 

grazing on the plains, mingling with elk and the fallow 
deer, and black-tailed deer; the latter, however, frequents 
mostly the inaccessible mountains. 

The celebrated caves of the state are located 30 leagues 
from San Antonio, and 16 leagues from Cosala, or about 48 
miles. The caves are situated in a small circular valley or 
basin 100 yards in diameter. The road lies down the canon, 
14 leagues below, to this basin. 

The caves are called Las Cuevas de San Miguel. The 
largest is called San Miguel, and is 240 feet in length and 80 
feet high, and 150 feet wide, forming a large room. The roof 
is a regular arch in formation or curvature. In the back wall 
opposite the entrance, are found openings of different sizes. 
One of them was penetrated by a traveler, who describes 
them in a book entitled, " The Northwestern part of Mex- 
ico." He says he penetrated 130 feet, and found intricate 
windings and subdivisions or openings on each side. 

The origin of the caves is unknown, but it is supposed that 
they were inhabited by the aborigines or ancient Aztecs. 
They have never been completely explored, as near as we can 
ascertain, and the attention of antiquarians is called to them, 
as relics of the former inhabitants might be found. From the 
caves, the distance to Plomosas is 40 leagues, and to the city 
of Durango, 40. 



Coaliiiila de Zaragoza. 

CHAPTER I. 
Boundaries and General Description. 

The State of Coahuila de Zaragoza takes its latter name 
from General Ignacio Zaragoza, one of her distinguished cit- 
izens and patriots of the 6th of May, 1862. The state was 
formerly united with Texas and was erected into a depart- 
ment in 1837, and admitted as a state in 1847. It was united 
to Nuevo Leon in 1857, and assigned its present boundaries 
as one of the states of the republic in 1868. The state 
is bounded on the north by the Rio Grande, on the east 
by Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, and on the south by 
Zacatecas, and on the west by Chihuahua and Durango. 
The state contains 9,500 square leagues, or 42,066,000 acres, 
and claims 125,400 inhabitants (in 1883). It comprises the 
districts of the Centre, of Parras, Nazas, Monclova, and Rio 
Grande. The greater part of the state is covered with the 
vast plains called the Bolson de Mapimi on the west, while 
the remaining portions are mountainous. The principal 
mountains of the northern part of the state are El Pico, 
Etereo, La Sierra del Carmen, and Lomerios de Peyotes ; in 
the central and southeastern, Santa Rosalia, San Marcos, La 
Fragua, La Paila, Sierra Azul, Coahuila, Chiflon, Angostura, 
and Sierra Madre. In these mountains many small streams 
are formed, which take an easterly direction and empty into 
the Rio Bravo (or Rio Grande). The Sabinas River forms 
the Salado River in the State of Nuevo Leon, which uniting 
with the Saltillo and Patos rivers, form the Sabinas, which 
empties into the San Juan, and thence carries the waters 
into the Rio Grande at Camargo, in the State of Tamaulipas. 

The state has been less developed than any state of the 
republic ; but its resources are none the less wonderful. Its 
agricultural productions in 1878 were $1,286,274. The 
amount of corn was 39,100,000 kUs., value, $650,000 ; coffee, 
900,000 kils., value, $226,000, and cotton, 1,500,000 kils., 
value, $156,250. The wines produced in this state are 
of a superior quality. A gold medal was awarded at the 

184 



185 

Philadelphia Centennial for their excellence. Large forests 
of timber exist in the state containing all the valuable woods 
and timbers for building purposes. 

The Bolson de Mapimi, which extends throughout the 
western part of the state, is a deserted region and uninhabita- 
ble. The agricultural districts of the state, however, are in 
possession of a rich soil with a wonderful fertility. The 
lands along the banks of the Sabinas River and its tributa- 
ries, as well as the Nadadores, its largest branch, are exceed- 
ingly productive, producing corn, coffee, sugar-cane and 
cotton, and all the vegetables in great profusion. The graz- 
ing regions are also confined to the streams and their imme- 
diate vicinity. The principal agricultural regions are regions 
around Nava, on the road from Piedras Negras in the north- 
eastern part of the state, to the old presidio of Lampazos, in 
the state of Nuevo Leon, and the regions around the city of 
Saltillo, in the southern part of the state, where some wheat 
is also raised ; and Sabinas, situated north of the centre of 
the state, and Progresso, and the region near Monclova, on 
the Nadadores River. The surface of the country around 
Saltillo is mountainous, diversified by valleys and canons, 
through which small streams pass. The grazing districts 
are near Saltillo, Arizpe, Agua Nueva, Patos, Sauceda, and 
San Antonio in the southern part of the state, and Cienegas, 
Nadadores, Abosolo, Panuco, and Progresso, near the centre, 
and on the large number of tributary streams of the Sabinas 
River, near Sabinas and Santa Rosa, north of and northeast 
of the central part of the state, extending along the banks 
of the Sabinas in a southeasterly direction, and on the small 
stream called the Rio Escondido and its tributaries, extend- 
ing northeast, and reaching to the Rio Grande at Piedras 
Negras. 



CHAPTER IL 

Cities, Towns, and Factories. 

The city of Saltillo is the capital of the state, and possesses 
about 17,000 inhabitants (in 1883); perhaps 20,000, since 
the connection with the Mexican national railway, which has 
brought it into communication with the American system of 
railways. The city is well built, with paved streets, and is 
situated on the slope of a ridge which crosses the whole val- 
ley on the road from Monterey. There are several hotels 



186 

and stores in the city, and quite an extensive trade is carried 
on from the United States, both by rail and the usual pack- 
train transportation ; and some traffic in agricultural produc- 
tions, among which may be mentioned corn and wheat, as the 
principal trade. Sheep and goat skins are also extensively 
trafficked in the immediate vicinity. 

The city is sixty or more miles nearer the city of Mexico 
than Monterey, and is on the direct line of the Mexican 
National Railway, which commences at New Laredo on the 
Mexican side, and is now being built to Mexico city. Saltillo 
is situated on the summit of the Sierras, some 8,000 feet 
above the level of the sea. It is destined to be a favorite 
resort for pleasure seekers, and is even now claiming to be 
the Saratoga of Mexico. The railroad officials look upon it 
as one of the important places upon the Mexican National 
Line. The climate is delightful, and it is the intention of 
certain capitalists to build a large hotel here for the accom- 
modation of American winter travel. ' The raUroad from 
Monterey to this point has some magnificent scenery, and the 
tourist will not fail to find in the trip many attractions, more 
particularly mentioned hereafter. There are in the district 
of the centre, formerly called the Saltillo District, several 
cotton factories, viz. : " La Hibernia," " La Esmeralda," " La 
Aurora,"" La Libertad," "El Labrador," and "Palomas." 

The city also contains a fine church, fronting the main 
square ; the church of the convent of San Esteban, a con- 
vent for the Sisters of Charity, in which young ladies are edu- 
cated ; an abandoned church, used as a soldiers' barracks, 
which was formerly built by the Jesuits, and a fine amphi- 
theatre, situated on the square of San Esteban. The Ala- 
meda is celebrated as one of the beautiful parks of Mexico. 
On the hill, to the southward, is a small fort, built during 
the empire. The tourist and traveler will find much 
here to interest him. The site of the battle of Buena' 
Vista lies only five miles from Saltillo. The old hacienda 
still remains as one of the historic places of the republic, 
and will well repay a visit. 

The town of San Fernando de Rosa, lately called Zara- 
goza, has about 6,000 inhabitants, and is located thirty miles 
southeast of Piedras Negras. The lands around the town 
are irrigable, and produce wheat, com, sugar-cane, beans, and 
the various vegetables. 

In the district of Parras, the thriving city of Parras de la 
Fuente is found, containing some 8,000 inhabitants. The 
town is well built; many of the houses are of two stories, 



187 

being quite spacious, with courts in the centre, and built 
with much taste. It is an old settled place, and has always 
been noted for the excellence of its wine and brandy. The 
city takes its name from a species of vine called Parra. 
The city extends a couple of miles along the side of a hill. 
The smaller vineyards run along the declivity, the larger ones 
beyond the town on the plain. The hill consists of porous 
limestone, abounds in water, which is collected in tanks, and 
conducted by acequias through the vineyards and the princi- 
pal streets of the town. Many of the houses have wells in 
their courts. The surplus water is conducted by aqueducts 
or ditches to the plains, where it is utilized in irrigating, first 
the gardens and vineyards, and beyond these, the fields of 
wheat and maize. The town is surrounded by a fine agri- 
cultural district, covered with orchards and gardens, planta- 
tions of maguey, and grain fields. 

The city is situated about eighty-five miles southwest of 
Saltillo. Considerable business is here transacted in the 
staple Mexican products. A cotton factory, called the " La 
Estrella," is located in this place. The cotton industry of 
the state has been, and is destined to be one of great impor- 
tance, with increasing demands for the home market, as well 
as a more extended trade. The district of Nazas produces 
most of the cotton of the state, and has great capacities for 
cotton culture ; indeed, we have been informed by a compe- 
tent engineer, who made a careful examination in the inter- 
est of one of the railroad companies, that the district of 
Nazas was the great cotton region of the whole republic. 

Monclova has 4,236 inhabitants (in 1883), and does con- 
siderable business. One cotton factory, called " La Abund- 
ancia," is located here, which runs 500 looms. The other 
principal towns are San Buenaventura, with 8,500 inhabi- 
tants ; Candela, with 3,037 inhabitants, and Cuatro Cienegas, 
with 3,200 inhabitants. The principal vineyards are owned 
by Senores Aneceto del Castello, Jesus Carranza, and Albino 
Morales. 

Mineral Besources. 

The mineral wealth of this state in the near future may 
become one of its greatest sources of revenue and profit. It 
has all the advantages of the other mining states in its geo- 
logical formation, and mining was at one time very profitable 
to the old Spanish miners, as appears from the following 
record : — 



188 

In the archives of the Presidio of Santa Rosa, now a town 
called Villa de Musquiz, an official report is recorded as hav- 
ing been made by Don Felipe Torralva, president of the 
mining board of the department in which Santa Rosa is situ- 
ated ; it is dated Nov. 24, 1844. It shows that, at that time, 
51 mines were worked in said mineral district, with a result 
as follows, viz. : eighteen mines produced ores yielding from 
4 to 6 ounces of silver per carga, or $28 to $42 per ton ; 17 
mines yielding 1 marc to the carga, or $56 per ton ; 5 mines 
.yielding 8 marcs to the carga, or $168 per ton ; 1 mine yield- 
ing 6 marcs to the carga, or $336 to the ton ; 1 mine yielding 
8 marcs to the carga, or $448 to the ton ; 1 mine yielding 30 
marcs to the carga, or $1,680 to the ton ; and 1 mine yielding 
100 ounces to the carga, or $5,600 to the ton. In the latter 
mine, which is known as the San Juan mine according to tra- 
dition, large pieces of pure silver were found. In the mines 
of Santa Gertrudes and El Pabellon, which produced ores 
yielding as much as 30 marcs of silver per carga, or $1,680 
per ton, pieces of virgin silver weighing one ounce and more 
were found. Leaves of silver as thin as paper were also 
found between layers of slate. 

Gold, silver, copper, lead, salt, nitre, onyx, alabaster, and a 
large deposit of iron, have been already discovered, although 
but little attempt has been made to develop this important 
feature of the state's resources. 

There are no less than eight cotton factories in the state, 
and fifty flour and corn mills, besides several saw-mills. This 
state is the least known of any part of the republic, the 
northern portion especially being marked in the maps until 
lately as an unknown region. Although it has a large terri- 
tory, and rich soil, a large proportion of which may be irrigated, 
it has a smaU population, and hitherto has had no means of 
transportation other than that by horses, mules, and burros. 
This is now being entirely changed by the railway develop- 
ment. The amount of the assessed value of real estate, city 
and country, has been reported at $5,346,476. 

The Mexican National and Exploring Company of Phila- 
delphia have, among other claims, purchased the Bolsa de 
Judas silver and copper mine. The mine is located about ten 
miles from Candela, upon the mountain of the same name, 
and has four pertenencias. The assays show some " six dol- 
lars of silver, and some 15 per cent, copper to the ton, of 
outcropping ores." The ore is a carbonate, and promises well. 
The mine was formerly worked by the Aztecs. Two shafts 
were found to be sunk sixty feet, following the carbonates. 



189 

The Panuco claims of the same company are situated 
" about thirty miles from Candela, and some distance from 
Monclova, near the former mine. The large body of ore de- 
veloped, showing " 40 per cent." of copper, makes the mine 
one of great promise. 

After the declaration of independence, four mines were 
worked in the district of Viezca, viz. : Sierra de Ramirez, 
Sierra de Timulco, Canon de Ribera, and Sierra de Hornos. 
The mines of Matehuapile, situated in the mountain, and 
near the hacienda of the same name, of the estate of Salado, 
are reported to have been in bonanza between 1720 and 
1735. Near this rancho a town formerly existed of several 
thousand inhabitants, who were engaged in mining; but the 
people were driven out by the Indians in 1735. 

Iron has been found near Monclova and Viezca ; copper 
and lead in Reis and Guadalupe ; nitre is found at San Bias, 
and sulphur and copperas in the Peyote hills. 

Coal has been found at Santa Rosa of a good quality, lying 
in an immense bed, from the indications, with a vein from 
four to six feet in thickness. The coal seems to be bitumi- 
nous, and is easily coked. At Piedras Negras, and also on the 
American side, large fields of coal have been discovered. At 
Eagle Pass the supply is so abundant that it may prac- 
tically be said to be inexhaustible. It may thus be seen that 
Coahuila, so much unknown heretofore, is assuming great 
prominence on account of its great mineral wealth. 



l^TJEYO LEON. 



CHAPTER I. 
General Description and Agricultural Resources. 

Nnevo Leon is bounded on the north and west by Coahuila ; 
on the north and east by Tamaulipas ; on the southwest by 
San Luis Potosi, and on the south and east by Tamaulipas. 
The area of the state is 6,695 square miles, or 4,000 square 
leagues ; the population in 1882 was 194,861. The state is 
mountainous, and for the first sixty miles after crossing the 
northern border, the route over the Mexican National from 
Laredo to Monterey, leads through poor sandy country, where 
nothing seems to grow but mesquite, cactus, and withal pre- 
sents an unfavorable impression. After this distance is 
reached, the country begins to improve ; in fact, as soon as 
the mountains are reached, beyond the plains just passed. 
For a hundred miles or more we ride through a beautiful 
valley that is showing some evidences of agriculture, and 
stock-raising, and pass into the more cultivated districts, 
which are very fertile. Along the streams, and in the culti- 
vated districts in their immediate vicinity, orchards contain- 
ing peaches, pomegranates, apples, pears, lemons, oranges, 
mulberries, aguacates, figs, bananas, grapes, etc., are found. 
The chirimoya, so celebrated, is found throughout many por- 
tions of the state. 

In 1878, the amount of corn produced was 751,200 bushels, 
value, $250,000 ; maguey, 1,098,000 plants, value produced, 
$144,250; tobacco, 45,750 cwt., value, $4,490; piloncillo, 
l,368,250cwt., value, $437,840; ixtle, 3,811,875 cwt, value, 
$86.475 ; sugar, 300,000 cwt., value, $36,000 ; total amount 
of products, $1,329,138 ; value of stock of all kinds, $868,021. 
The principal streams of the state are the Salado, El Can- 
dela, El Sabina, and the San Juan. The latter is about 130 
miles long, and empties into the Rio Grande. Ebony, Brazil 
wood, beech, oak, ash, coyotilla, huisache, cedar, palmetto, 
frijalillio, huiachillo, elm, cypress, pine, and other species of 
timber, are found in the mountains. The elevation of the 
state reaches from 1,010 feet above the sea level, to 2,350 
feet. The climate is therefore temperate or semi-tropical. 

190 



191 

CHAPTER II. 

Cities and Towns. 

Mouterey, the capital of the state, is on the line of the 
Mexican National Railway, and is reached in about ten hours 
and a half from New Laredo. The city is situated on the 
Santa Catarina River, 602| miles from Mexico City, and is 
1,626 feet above the level of the sea, and is built in a basin 
formed by the great mountains surrounding it. Splendid 
springs flow through it in several directions, pouring out 
streams of pure and healthy water, large enough to run a 
miU, or irrigate all the country around it. The streets are 
weU paved, and are kept quite cleau. The city is built mostly 
of stone, and has several fine churches, an hospital, a college, 
a convent of the Sisters of Charity, a city hall, several beauti- 
ful squares, hotels, and 37,000 inhabitants. The Bishop's 
Palace is situated on a hill, west of the city, on the right 
hand side of the Saltillo road. 

Monterey has a fine trade that is continually increasing. 
The future of this city seems to be a promising one, and its 
importance as the largest city of northeastern Mexico, has 
added much to its future, by drawing the attention of the 
railroad. " Nature,'as if to complete and perfect Monterey as 
a sanitarium, in addition to her magnificent climate the year 
round, has placed, within a distance of three miles, and at 
the foot of one of the mountains adjacent, a series of thermal 
springs, whose curative qualities are well known. The dis- 
eases most benefited are rheumatism, gout, scrofula, diseases 
of the liver and kidneys, dropsy," etc. 

The other principal towns are Cadereyta Jimenez, of 16,000 
inhabitants ; Montemorelos, of 10,000 ; Linares 12,000 ; Gale- 
ana, 6,500 inhabitants ; Doctor Arroyo 1,800, and Lampazos de 
Naranjo of 7,000 inhabitants. The factories of the state are 
"La Fama," "La Leona," "El Porvenir," "La Constancia," 
"El Lucero," and several sugar factories. The state produces 
also cotton, and is well adapted to most of the productions 
that any other state of the republic may raise. 

Mineral Resources. 

The town Villadama was founded as a mining settlement 
in 1646, under the name of Mineral de San Pedro Boca de 
Leones. The mine Chihuahua is located in this district 
"with an inferior tunnel of 500 feet, and a well-defined vein 
of galena ore, running from three to nine feet in width, and 



192 

carrying from forty to sixty ounces of silver to the ton." 
The mine Coayache contains " a valuable vein of earth ore, 
running from one to three feet wide, which produces from 
200 to 350 ounces of silver to the ton," The mine Moreno 
contains " a rich vein of galena ore, carrying silver running 
from one to three feet in width, and producing from $200 to 
$300 per ton," The Farandula was reported by the Spaniards 
as a good mine, but that it contained rebellious oi'e. The 
above-named mines are owned by the Anglo Texas Mexican 
Mining and Smelting Company, of Houston, Texas. 

The Rosario mine, which contains low grade ores, is situ- 
ated within six or eight miles of Salinas Victoria, and is 
owned by the Rosario Mining Company, of Dallas, Texas. 
The San Juan Chico mine is located in the district of San 
Antonio, The Spaniards in 1756 worked the old claim, and 
it is said found a silver bonanza. The new claim is on the 
old vein, and at ten feet depth, the width was from twelve 
to fourteen inches, and composed of argentiferous galena, 
with gang of heavy spar. The dip is twenty degrees, with 
blue limestone on hanging wall, and siliceous bastard lime- 
stone on foot wall. Assays show from $50 to $300 per ton, 
and of lead sixty-five to seventy per cent. The Boludo 
copper mine is situated about twelve miles from Candela, on 
the Boludo Mountain, in the San Geronimo gap. A large 
body of ore has been found that assays 7^j^ per cent., or 
143^Q lbs. per ton of copper, with traces of silver and gold. 
The mine has not yet been developed. 

The Buena Vista mine is located in the Minas Viejas belt, 
on the Minas Viejas Mountains, about fifteen miles .from 
Villaldama, "The formation is much broken up, and in 
cracks, crevices, and joints of rocks, of a yellowish ochre 
clay, very abundant, and assaying $20 per ton. The ore is 
rich argentiferous galena, assaying |150 to $350 per ton." 

The Yguana silver mines are located about twenty-five 
miles from Lampazos, near the line of the Mexican National 
Railroad. The district was worked from 1756 to 1812, by 
the Spaniards, when they were driven out by the Mexicans. 

The Minas Viejas mine is located fifteen miles from ViU- 
aldama, State of Nuevo Leon, adjoining the Guadalupe mine. 
The mine has two shafts, called " San Jose," and " El Car- 
men," and is reputed to be a valuable property, with large 
bodies of ore in sight ; assay from $18 to $270 silver per ton. 
The mine was formerly worked by the Spaniards. 

The Rosario mine is situated six miles from Salinas, neaif 
the line of the Mexican National, and is reported to have 



193 

developed good ore. The above mines are owned by the 
Mexican National Exploring and Mining Company of Phila- 
delphia. 

The state contains also iron, lead, sulphur, nitrate of 
potash, alabaster, white and colored marble, and muriate of 
soda, and a large bed of coal. A large deposit of magnetic 
iron ore has been found upon the Carisal Mountain, about 
twelve miles from Candela, and nineteen miles from Lampazos, 
at a point named Piedro Yman Gap. The mine proper lies 
about eighty feet below the crest of the mountain, where the 
deposit on the surface is about 50 to 120 feet in width. 
The ore is found in a vein. This deposit of ore is almost 
wholly magnetic oxide; a slight proportion of other varie- 
ties, and runs, it is said, sixty per cent, pure iron. 



TAMAULIPAS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Description; Cities and Towns, Free Zone and Mineral 

Hesouroes. 

The State of Tamaulipas is bounded on the north by the 
United States or Rio Grande River, and by Nuevo Leon 
on the northwest and on the west, and southwest by San 
Luis Potosi; on the south by Vera Cruz, and on the 
east by the Gulf of Mexico; area, 4,228 sq. leagues, or 
11,102 sq. miles. The state is traversed by part of the 
Sierra Madre range, which crosses the state from the 
northwest to the southeast, from the town of Villagran, near 
the divisory line of Neuvo Leon on the line between this 
state and San Luis Potosi, to the Hacienda del Chaburo 
Mountain ; spurs extend in different directions, forming many 
^beautiful valleys, — the Santa Barbara and Chamal being the 
principal ones. The low, flat lands along the coast and Rio 
Grande River are unhealthy, that on the coast being subject 
to yellow fever. That portion west of the mountains, how- 
ever, is cool and dry and healthy. Most of the streams of the 
state carry their waters easterly into the gulf; one or two 
small streams only reaching the Rio Grande on the north. 
The state is fertile on the banks of streams and produces 
corn, cotton, rice, sugar-cane, beans, peas, sweet potatoes, and 
other vegetables. The maguey is extensively raised, as in 
almost all parts of Mexico. 

The principal fruits are peaches, bananas, mangos, the goa- 
yaba, citrons, the aguacate, and the chirimoya. Abundance 
of timber fit for building purposes, and fine cabinet work, in- 
cluding ebony and other valuable woods, are found on the 
mountain sides. 

The eastern part of the state and the northeastern on the 
Rio Grande is admirably adapted for stock-raising. Horses, 
cattle, sheep, and goats are raised in large numbers, as well as 
large numbers of mules. The total amount of agricultural 
productions in 1878 was $2,174,280, of which 11,677,120 was 

194 



195 

of corn, and wheat, $82,000. The amount in kilograms in com 
was 79,383,680, and wheat, 1,455,500. 

The state is divided into four districts ; Del Norte, Del 
Centre, Del Sur, and Cuarto Distrito. 

Matamoras is one of the principal ports of entry of the 
republic, and contains about 18,000 inhabitants. The city 
is located on the west bank of the Rio Grande, opposite the 
town of Brownsville, Texas, and about thirty miles from the 
river's mouth. The trade of the whole state is considerable, 
and Matamoras controls the most of it, and is recognized as 
the centre of the large trade of the free zone. On March 17, 
1858, the free zone was established for the benefit of Mata- 
moras, Reynosa, Camargo, Mier, Guerrero, and Nueyo Laredo, 
in which these towns were to be free from all duties except 
municipal duties and state taxes. The decree was first issued 
by the legislature of the state, and on July 30, 1861, was ap- 
proved by the general government. The faciUties of the 
"zona" added to its location, made the American side from 1861 
to 1865 a great depot for supplies of all kinds going in, and 
for cotton, etc., out. Matamoras at that time had 40,000 
inhabitants. The present annual exports of the zone to the 
United States are about $2,000,000 ; about one half of which 
is silver ; the remainder being hides, skins, ixtle fibre, wool, 
live animals, etc. For the year ending Sept. 30, 1880, the 
imports at Matamoras were $2,176,772, of which $1,052,255 
were bonded goods, and $1,124,517 were American goods. 
Probably 25 to 40 per cent, of these imports are consumed 
within the limits of the " Zona Libre," and the remainder are 
sent to the interior, mostly to Monterey and Saltillo, San 
Luis Potosi, Durango, Zacatecas, Victoria, etc. The present 
limits of the " zona " are from the mouth of the Rio Grande 
up the river to the state lines, a few miles above Monterey, 
Nuevo Laredo, and back from the river a narrow, but rather 
indefinite distance, not exceeding in any place about 25 
miles. The ports of first entry are Matamoras, Camargo, 
Mier, and Monterey (Nuevo Laredo). The towns of Rey- 
noza, Guerrero and other villas and ranches within this limit 
are entitled to receive from the ports of first entry. The 
population of the zona is about 50,000. The following we 
copy from Consul Sutton's report of February 28, 1881 : — 

" All goods imported into any one of the ports of first 
entry must be regularly entered at the custom-house under 
the exacting conditions of the tariff. All goods which are 
not by the Mexican tariff free of duty must pay one half cent 
per pound on the gross weight and one and thirty-seven hun- 



196 

dredths per cent of the regular Mexican tariff. Any error in 
the declaration as to weight, value, description, etc., is pun- 
ishable by the same heavy fine as on goods entered at other 
ports where full duties are exacted. When these goods have 
passed the custom-house they may be held in store by the 
merchant an unlimited time or may be consumed free of any 
further charge. 

" When any goods thus imported are to be sent to any 
point inside the ' Zona Libre ' they must be again regularly 
manifested and a bond given to produce and file within a 
certain prescribed time the " guia," properly indorsed by the 
various custom officers along the route and at the destina- 
tion. No charge is made except for the paper, stamps, etc. 
The goods once arrived at the point of destination may be 
there consumed free of further tariff duties. 

" Goods destined to the interior are regularly entered and 
are then subject to the full Mexican tariff, less the amount 
already paid. These are sent with similar restrictions as to 
return of *' guia," etc., as in the * Zona.' 

" In the paying of duties on goods to the interior one thing 
has to be considered, although it does not strictly concern 
the * Zona Libre.' This is the possibihty of buying what is 
called custom-house paper and using the same in paying a 
portion of the duties. This paper is of a variable character 
as to quantity, availability, and "price. At present a small 
supply is said to be obtainable at about 80 cents on the dol- 
lar. I understand that this year it may be used to pay 84 
cents on the dollar of the amount of duties which have not 
been paid on entering and which are due when goods are 
manifested for the interior. 

" If the * Zona Libre ' did not exist, the local frontier trade 
would be almost entirely transferred to the American bank, 
and only those goods intended for the interior would be en- 
tered at the custom-house. This was plainly shown by the 
condition of affairs at Piedras Negras, which is above the 
limits of the ' Zona Libre.' 

" Although calico was freely used by the residents of that 
city, I found but a single piece in stock, and that had not 
come over in the regular way. The merchant who had it, 
said he would sell five or six yards per annmn in cases of 
emergency ; that is, in cases where there was not sufficient 
time to send to Eagle Pass, Texas, just across the river, there 
to buy and smuggle across. Nearly every article needed for 
local consumption, which was not free of any import duty, 
was thus bought in Eagle Pass and smuggled across to Pie- 



197 

dras Negras. The legitimate business is thus confined to 
free imports, to imports intended for the interior via that 
custom-house, and to the exports and consumption of Mexi- 
can products. The same conditions obtain all along this 
frontier and would doubtless have the same results. As 
matters now stand, the * Zona ' merchant pays the local 
charges previously noted and the very high occupation taxes 
or licenses and can sell at equal advantage American or foreign 
goods. The American merchant on the other bank can only 
sell to good advantage American goods, — foreign goods 
which are free of duty and those which pay but a small im- 
port duty. Those foreign goods which pay high import duty 
in the United States can be purchased cheaper in the * Zona.' 
Of late years the increased demand for American goods, the 
lower taxes, greater security, lower import duties on many 
foreign goods, have aided to make trade in many articles more 
profitable on the American than on the Mexican bank. This 
condition prevails to-day along the ' Zona,' and is likely to 
continue, although it may be modified by the opening of rail- 
ways." 

The American Bonded System. 

" The privileges of the * Zona ' are materially aided by the 
facility and cheapness of bringing European goods to this 
city via the United States. The port of Brownsville (Brazos 
de Santiago) is nearly as much a Mexican as an American 
port of entry. The European goods which passed through 
that district last year all came to this city, and lacked less 
than $100,000 of equaling the imports of American goods. 
(See Table A.) 

" In former years most of those European goods came to 
Brazos in American vessels, having been first entered at New 
York or New Orleans. Of late years, owing to the high 
freight rates between those ports and Brazos, it has been 
found more profitable to bring more of them direct from Eu- 
rope in European vessels, 

" For the year ended Sept, 30, 1876, the direct imports at 
Brazos were 47 per cent, while in the year ending Sept. 30, 
1879, they had increased to 68 per cent, of the total imports 
of such goods. As the customs charges for this class of goods 
are very small, they are laid down in Matamoras almost as 
cheaply as American goods. 

" As many correspondents have inquired of me if the ' Zona 
Libre ' had been abolished, I would state in this connection 
that at the present I know of no effort being made to secure 



198 

its abolition. On the contrary, as previously stated, t-wo 
ports of first entry have been reopened to commerce with the 
United States with all the privileges of the ' Zona.' " 

Victoria is the capital of the state, with about 6,000 inhabi- 
tants, and is beautifully situated at the foot of a high moun- 
tain. It is well watered by a large, clear stream and lies in 
the midst of gardens and fields of sugar-cane. 

Tampico is one of the important ports of the republic, 
second only to Vera Cruz, and is situated at the mouth of the 
Panuco River, which is navigable to Altamira, over a distance 
of about eighteen miles. The population of the town is about 
5,000, A large trade is carried on here with Europe and the 
United States, There are six mining districts in the state, 
viz.: San Nicholas, San Jose, Bustamente, El Zique, La Mi- 
quihuana, and Villagran, San Nicholas has twenty-five 
abandoned mines and four worked. The Miquihuana dLs- 
trict has four abandoned mines. The district of Bustamente 
has twelve abandoned mines. The duties paid to the Span- 
ish crown on record indicate that the mines were good mines. 
Silver, copper and lead were produced for the Spanish owners. 
The district of Villagran, known when first discovered as 
Real de Borbon, contains some old abandoned gold and silver 
mines. Iron ore has been found in Victoria, and in the vi- 
cinity of Aldajna, silver, copper, and iron, and slate quar- 
ries, and in the vicinity of Omelas, alabaster of a fine qual- 
ity, and near Santa Ana of Tamaulipas, jasper and marble 
have been found. 

Near San Carlos, Morelos, Guerrero, and Camargo, a mineral 
belt has been discovered containing copper, and at Guerrero 
and Carmago, coal has been discovered, and near Guerrero, 
red ochre and red lead. 



VEEA CEUZ. 



CHAPTER I. 

General Description, Cities and Towns, and Agricultu- 
ral and Mineral Resources, 

The State of Vera Cruz has an area of 5,501 square 
leagues, and except very near to the coast is mountainous. 
The district of Orizava is occupied with the Sierra Madre, 
which penetrates the state from Oaxaca and extends into the 
district of Zacatlan, of the State of Puebla. The principal 
mountain peaks of this Cordillera are the volcano Citlalte- 
petl ; elevation, 5,295 metres above the sea, and may be seen 
from the vessels entering the port ; in fact, is used as a land- 
mark by navigators. The second peak is the Cofre de 
Perote, formerly called by the ancient Mexicans Nancham- 
patepetl, which signifies the square mountain ; elevation, 4,088 
metres. A grand scenery may be enjoyed from its summit. 
The port of Vera Cruz and the Castillo de San Juan*de 
Ulloa, and a wide expanse of coasts and Mexican scenery, 
diversified by tropical vegetation on the margins of the prin- 
cipal rivers, at once presents a view to be enjoyed by sight- 
seers. In the districts of Cordova, Orizava, and Jalapa, pro- 
ductions of the hot, temperate, and colder climates are 
raised. 

The State of Vera Cruz is bounded on the north by the 
State of Tamaulipas, on the east and southeast by the Gulf of 
Mexico, on the east by Tabasco, southeast by Chiapas, on the 
southwest by Oaxaca, west by Puebla and Hidalgo, and 
northwest by San Luis Potosi. Area, 3,501 square leagues. 
The city of Vera Cruz derives its name from the first city 
built on this continent by Cortez in 1519-20. From the sea 
the coast on each side of the town presents a dismal view of 
sand-hills, which appear almost to swallow up the walls. 
The town, however, sparkling in the sun with its white 
houses and numerous church spires, has rather a pictur- . 
esque appearance ; but every object, whether on sea or land, 
g) >ws unnaturally in the lurid atmosphere. We take the 

199 



200 

following description of the town from the report of a trav- 
eler writing to the Boston Herald : — 

" Daybreak of the next morning found many an anxious 
gazer on deck speculating on our chances of landing. To 
the delight of all, the screw revolves, and on a comparatively 
smooth sea we ride into the open harbor, flanked on the left 
by the city of Vera Cruz, and on the right by the old fort 
San Juan de Ulloa, which lifts its ancient battlements high 
above the surrounding reefs. This fort was begun in 1569, 
and was finished in 1633, remaining in the hands of the 
Spaniards until several years after the independence of Mex- 
ico had been proclaimed. It marks the spot where Hernando 
Cortez landed on April 21, 1519, and is now used as a state 
prison. The old scenes of Havana and other ports are re- 
peated as soon as we have dropped anchor. Numberless 
lighters and sailing craft of all kinds are soon at hand. As 
the steamship .company allows passengers to land themselves 
and their luggage as best they can, we secure a sail-boat and 
are speedily conveyed to the single pier that graces the city's 
front and over whose granite length the white-coated waves 
dash in fury, making the landing anything but pleasant in all 
save the calmest weather. But, as though old Neptune had 
determined that our trials had been sufficient and that our 
parting should be a pleasant one, he granted a brief respite, 
during which we were safely landed within the inclosure of 
the custom-house. It was well that we quickly availed our- 
selves of the opportunity, for a less fortunate French steamer, 
following in our wake only three hours later, found the 
" norther " again in full blast, and was compelled to seek the 
shelter of Sacrificios. So suddenly do the winds and waves 
rise as though in protest against the stranger's setting foot in 
this city of the True Cross." 

The city is well planned and was until lately surrounded 
by an adobe wall. It has wide streets, crossing each other at 
right angles. There are also several large and handsome 
buildings fast mouldering to decay. The few foreign mer- 
chants who reside here remove their families to Jalapa in the 
season of the vomito. The city has been subject to an an- 
nual quarantine, which begins about May 1 and continues 
during the sickly season. In spite of this great drawback, 
the city maintains its own and receives the greater propor- 
tion of foreign goods imported into the country. The popu- 
lation of the city reaches 9,647, and includes a large number 
of live business men who recognize the importance of the 
city and its great opportunities for trade. 



201 

Jalapa is a beautiful place, situated on the side of the 
Macuiltepec Mountain and enjoys a fine and temperate cli- 
mate. The old convent of San Francisco, the church of St. 
Joseph, an hospital and substantial public buildings are the 
principal architectural features of the city. 

Cordova is a town of 9,500 inhabitants, and is situated in 
a small valley, surrounded by mountains and near to Rio 
Seco, the waters of which have an average temperature of 80 
degrees Fahrenheit. As it is only at a moderate altitude, 
and not far from the seu, it enjoys at the same time the daily 
tropical heat and the evening sea-breeze. The "Vomito 
Negro" is seldom engendered there, so that all the advantages 
attract each year a great number of Vera Cruzians. The 
town is surrounded by rich coffee plantations. 

Orizava is situated eighty-two miles from Vera Cruz, on 
the Mexican railway, which runs from Vera Cruz to the 
City of Mexico. The distance to Jalapa is also eighty miles. 
This city is the capital of the state, and has about 12.500 in- 
habitants. The valley of Orizava presents to the eye the 
appearance of an immense luxurious garden, in the middle of 
which the town detaches itself, with its flat-roofed and white 
houses and haciendas, varied now and then with domes and 
steeples. The peak of Orizava stands in view, 17,375 feet 
above sea level, with its snowy head glittering above the 
clouds, forming with the surroundings one of the delightful 
views of Mexican scenery. Three rivers or streams run near 
the city, — Ojo del Ingenio, Rio Blanco, and the Rio de Ori- 
zava. - There is a large spinning and tissue mill, a paper fac- 
tory, and several flour mills in the city. * The climate is 
rather humid, but healthy, the easterly wind predominating. 
The plateau on which it stands is 4,027 feet above the sea, 
and the average temperature is seventy-two degrees Fahren- 
heit. In the environs there are several waterfalls. Orizava 
contains twelve churches and four hotels. Diligencias — 
prices, $2 per day ; San Pedro, De las Cuatro Naciones, and 
Del Ferrocarrill ; the latter three hotels charge but $1 per 
day. 

The State of Vera Cruz is chiefly an agricultural state, al- 
though some mines have been discovered and are worked. 
The amount of corn produced in 1878 was 286,817,280 kils., 
value, $8,079,360 ; wheat, 781,000 kils., value, $44,000 ; coffee, 
6,880,000 kils., value, $1,470,000; sugar, 12,420,000 kils., 
value, $3,552,500; tobacco, 3,391,180 kils., valae, $884,376; 
vanilla, 28,900 kils., value, $346,400 ; sarsaparilla, 87,445 kils., 
value, $11,400, and other productions, $1,026,522; total, 
$19,295,425. 



202 

Besides the aboYe, petrolenm has been found in this state 
in large quantities, flowing from the ground and mingling 
with the streams in many ravines, and filling gulches at the 
base of the mountains. This will add another element to 
the resources of this wonderful country, and become an im- 
portant part of the traffic upon the railroads. 

The coast lands of Vera Cruz furnish just such climatic 
conditions as are favorable for cotton crops. The soil is of a 
sandy-clay character, thoroughly disintegrated, and with a 
good sub-soil, is the most desirable, and is found in all the 
coast districts. The heavy north winds of the coast would, 
of course, be dangerous to the maturing crop, but at some 
distance from the coast this danger disappears as well as that 
from the coast fever, while all the. advantages of soil and 
climate continue. The soil of the state is well adapted also 
to coffee and tobacco. . Large crops of the best of coffee are 
annually raised. The tobacco of Vera Cruz is already cele- 
brated among tobacconists, and we predict for Vera Cruz 
cigars a run that will be .flattering to the Mexican tobacco- 
nists. Gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and coal have been 
found in various parts of the state. Coal has been found in 
the Chicontepec district and denounced by Messrs. Craviato. 
The Jalapa district is attracting some attention by its gold 
mines. One of these, the Miqueta, has been opened by the 
local owners and has disclosed a vein of rich gold-bearing 
ore. There are good smelting works at Zomelahuacan and 
Tenepanoya. Amozal is also in possession of large coal beds 
whose deposits are open to view in the walls of the canon 
La Mira. 

Capt. H. W. Burdett, the manager of the Boston and 
Mexican Oil Company, now working at Chapopote, near 
Tuxpan, states that the first well is down 600 feet, with indi- 
cations of a heavy body of oil. It is reported that five oil 
springs have been discovered and denounced at Tansime, in 
the State of Vera Cruz. / 



SA]^ LTnS POTOSI. 



CHAPTER I. 



Physical Features, Cities and To-wns, and Agricultural 
and Mineral Besources. 

The State of San Luis Potosi is bounded on the northeast 
by the States of Nuevo Leon and Taraaulipas ; on the south 
by Guanajuata, Queretaro and Mexico; on the west and 
northwest by Zacatecas ; area, 4,262 square leagues. Several 
chains of mountains cross this state, forming many fine 
valleys. The valley of San Luis is the largest, but the val- 
leys Del Maiz and Rio Verde are said to be the richest. This 
state is one of the most important of the republic, for it 
is not only rich in agricultural resources, but its mineral 
resources have made it one of the famous states of the 
Republic. 

The city of San Luis Potosi is the capital of the state and 
is situated on the east side of the great plateau of Anahuac, 
in a valley extending from north to south, some forty-five 
miles in length. The streets are narrow, and run at right 
angles. The city contains some very fine buildings, viz. : 
" El Carmen," the Cathedral, San Francisco, San Augustin, 
La Merced, the College of Loretto, and San Nicolas, the 
Hospital of San Juan de Dies, the Chapel of El Rosario and 
Los Remedies, and the Sanctuary of Guadalupe. The city 
is easy of access, and is connected with Mexico City by the 
Mexican Central Railroad, and by stage or Mexican dili- 
gence, also, with Zacatecas, and Tampico, The city has 
45,000 inhabitants and a large trade. The climate is healthy, 
on account of its elevation ; is never very cold or very warm. 
Matehuala is situated within a few miles of the Cerro de las 
Frailes and the Catorce Mountains, and has a population of 
25,000. Cedral is situated six miles north of Matehuala, and 
is the centre of a flourishing mining district ; population, 
15,000. Catorce, one of the great mining districts of the 
state and of the republic, is situated four leagues from 
Cedxal, in the mountains of Catorce ; population, 20,000, 

203 



204 

El Venado is a city of 10,000 inhabitants. A cotton factory 
with two hundred looms is located here. Charcas is a min- 
ing town, with a population of 4,000 inhabitants. The other 
principal towns are Ciudad del Maiz, Rio Verde, Valle de 
San Francisco, and Moctezuma. 

One of the largest haciendas in the republic belongs to 
the jurisdiction of this state. It is known as the hacienda de 
Salado, and is situated on the main highway, between the 
city of San Luis Potosi and Saltillo. Its lands belong to the 
four States of Zacatecas, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and San 
Luis Potosi, and contains an area of over 200 leagues in one 
block, or' 885,600 acres. It is one of the best properties situ- 
ated on the table-lands of Mexico, being well adapted to all 
kinds of stock-raising, and to the cultivation of all small 
grains, and corn, the grape and all the fruits of the temperate 
cUmates. The hacienda is well watered by spring wells 
and tanks, and water is found at a depth of from 5 to 50 
feet. Its mountains, which are really the foot-hills of the 
Sierra de Catorce, contain over 2,000 metallic veins ; some of 
its mines produced immense bonanzas during the last century. 
They are principally silver, lead, copper, cinnabar, and some 
gold, and a rich iron deposit. The building materials, such 
as marble, rock suitable for hydraulic lime, fire brick and 
earth for the best kind of brick and crockery, are found in 
abundance for all purposes. Maguey, the lechuguillas, the 
zotole, the zolmandoque, the palmetto, the cactus, aboimd 
over the hills and valleys of the estate, all of which produce 
valuable fibre, and whose roots or fruits can be distilled 
profitably into alcohol. The above description of this great 
estate will give an idea of the immense resources of San 
Luis Potosi. The estate formerly belonged to General Don 
Juan Bustamente, Ex-Governor of San Luis Potosi, but has 
lately been sold to English capitalists for $2,500,000. 

The principal agricultural productions of this stati, 
amounted to $7,921,984 in 1878, of which $6,081,60.0 is thu 
value given to corn raised, or 287,862,400 kilograms. The 
amount of wheat was 12,780,000 kilograms, valued at $720,00y. 

The mining resources of the State of San Luis Potosi ranks 
it as fourth in the list of mining states. It had eight mining 
districts with sixty-five mines which were worked in 1878, 
with a result of $3,404,745. There are fourteen mines of 
gold and silver, forty-six of silver alone, six of copper, five of 
lead, and nine of quicksilver. The amount of gold and silver 
coined in the mint of this state up to 1865 was $48,745,584. 
In 1880, ninety-nine mines were worked, which shows, a 



205 

steady increase in her mining interests. Mr. "Ward, in his 
work on " Mexico in 1827," has given an extended descrip- 
tion of the mines of San Luis Potosi, and we shall content 
ourselves by referring our readers to his description, with the 
following summary : — 

In the mining districts, viz. : Real de Catoree, Guadalca- 
zar, Charcas, Ramos, Ojo Caliente, San Pedro, and Santa 
Maria del Peiion Blanco, many rich mines were discovered. 
The Real de Catoree produced immense wealth, and a mint 
was established to coin the silver of its mines. The whole 
amount of silver coined by the mint of San Luis Potosi, up 
to 1867, was 152,699,902.25. Of this amount the various dis- 
tricts of the state supplied the metal. The mining district 
of Guadalcazar possesses some very rich mines. The Ascen- 
cion de Alvarado, Veta Viscaina, San Pedro, Santo Tomas, 
Tercias Partes Corcovada, San Clemente, Remedios, Esta- 
quillo and San Amaranto, mines, were overflowed by a water 
spout in 1622. They are all situated on the eastern slope of 
the San Cristobal Mountain, The San Francisco del Ramillo, 
San Jos6, El Cascajol, La Cocinera, Santa Catarina, La An- 
gelica, La Compania, and the Sacramento mines, are situated 
on the west side of the same mountain. The above mines 
were reputed to be rich mines, but contain rebellious ores. 
The San Juan Stanislao mine, situated at the foot of the 
mountain, produced a bonanza in 1850, Its ores produced 
$80 per carga of 300 pounds, or about S500 per ton. 

The following mines are located near the aforementioned 
property, viz: Jesus, Promontorio San Juan de Encino, 
Marquerate, El Muerto, La Cruz, and La Manavilla. The 
San Rafael, formerly called the Santo Domingo, San Vicente, 
La Encaracion, San Jose, La Concepcion, El Carmen, Guada- 
lupe, and San Miguel el Gato, are all situated on the south 
slope of the mountain. The mines mentioned above have 
produced on the average about from $80 to $100 per ton. 
These mines have been often flooded, hence their abandon- 
ment. In 1574, the mines of San Cristobal were found in 
the Charcas mining district situated about a league north of 
the old town of Charcas. The ores produced large quanti- 
ties of metal by smelting. The San Carlos and Sabino mines 
were discovered, with some others of lesser importance, in 
1600, and produced large quantities of metal. The principal 
mines of the Ramos mining district are La Cocinera, San 
Juan, San Jose, San Vicente, Animas, Aura Valenciana, San 
Geronimo, Cinco Senores, and San Nicolas. They produce 
native silver, ruby silver, pyrites and galena. These mines 



206 

are also flooded. In the district of San Luis eight mines are 
worked and sixty-six are idle. In the district of Charcas and 
Sabino, eight mines are worked and sixteen are idle. In the 
districts of Penon Blanco and Ramos, twenty -tliree mines are 
idle. In Catorce, sixty-five mines are worked, and twenty- 
six are idle. In Guadacalzar, eighteen are worked and 
ninety-nine are idle. Thus out of 321 mines in the state, 
ninety mines are worked, and 231 are lying idle. Quicksilver 
mines have been found and worked in the districts of Ojo 
Caliente and Gudalcazar. Salt has been produced from the 
district of Santa Mario del Penon Blanco. 



QUERETAKO. 

CHAPTER I. 
Description, Cities and Towns and Resources. 

The state of Queretaro is in general very mountainous, and 
more especially in the northern part. The hills are almost 
lacking in vegetation, but the mountains and Cordilleras, are 
covered with forests of timber. The districts of Queretaro, 
San Juan del Rio, Caderj^eta and Amealco, with but few 
exceptions, are covered with rich and fertile agricultural 
lands. The state is bounded on the north by Guanjuato and 
San Luis Potosi, east by Hidalgo and Mexico, southwest by 
Michoacan, and west by Guanajuato, and south by Mexico. 
The state has six districts, viz. : Queretaro, San Juan del Rio, 
Amealco, Jalpan, ToUman, and Cadereyta ; area, 500 square 
leagues. The climate is temperate and healthy. The city 
of Queretaro is the capital of the state, and has 48,000 in- 
habitants. It is reached by the Mexican Central railroad 
from Mexico city. The city is surrounded by gardens and 
orchards, and has a temperate climate. The principal build- 
ings are the convents of San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San 
Antonio, Santo Domingo, San Augustine, and El Carmen. 
An aqueduct carries water from the neighboring hills, some 
of the arches of which are 90 feet high. The aqueduct was 
built by Don Juan Antonio de Urutio y Arana, and cost 
$124,000. The city has a fine Alameda, and presents a beau- 
tiful appearance to the eye of the visitor. 

Queretaro enjoys the distinction of having the most ex- 
tensive and best equipped establishments in Mexico. They 
are owned by the celebrated and wealthy Rubio family, and 
are immensely profitable. The first mill that is reached, 
about a mile from the city, is La Purisima Conception, or the 
Immaculate Conception. This is run by water, and employs 
some 300 operatives. The largest mill is the Hercules, supe- 
rior, certainly, to any other in Mexico, and probably equal to 
the best to be found anywhere in the United States. It is a 
vast establishment, giving employment, a few years ago, to 
1,800 people, and running 18,000 spindles. Since then I 

207 



208 

understand that additions have been made to the establish- 
ment, so that now it runs 5,000 more spindles, and employs 
fully 2,000 people within its walls, and a large number of 
common laborers outside, who directly find their support 
from it. The annual product of these two mills is said to be 
about 1,200 tons of cotton cloth, besides large quantities of 
yarn and wick. In the production of these goods nearly 
2,000 tons of raw cotton are annually used. This is largely 
brought from Vera Cruz, Morelia, and Colima, and the dis- 
tant provinces of Durango and Chihuahua are also drawn 
upon, while even the borders are crossed and Texas made to 
supply a share of the necessary staple. The Hercules mill 
is a model establishment in every respect. Its spacious build- 
ings stretch out over a vast extent of land, and are fitted up 
with all the most improved machinery to be had from the 
United States or England. The works are run by two double 
oscillating engines of 100 horse power each. For protection 
against robbers and against revolutionary parties, the owner 
keeps a standing army of seventy foot soldiers and twenty 
cavalry. These men are neatly uniformed in white, and are 
on duty all the time. They are paid about sixty cents a day 
and provided with uniforms, and the cavalry with horses 
also. In addition, in cases of emergency, an army of 500 
from workmen can be mustered, all drilled, equipped, and 
fully trained. The arsenal of the establishment is well 
stocked, and two light guns are conveniently stored in the 
engine room. Sentry boxes are mounted on the roof, and in 
times of disturbance or apprehended danger a constant watch 
is kei3t. The buildings of the factory are of stone, and are 
surrounded by fine gardens, with artificial ponds. Among 
the statues that adorn the grounds is one of "Hercules," 
which cost in Italy $15,000. There are several hotels in the 
city and a theatre. 

This state produced in corn alone, in 1878, 103,547,000 
kils,, valued at 81,456,000, and some other agricultural pro- 
ductions, reaching to 11,726,055, upon 100,000 hectares of 
land under cultivation, or only 248,000 acres under the rude 
processes of cultivation. This, however, does not include 
some other productions, among which may.be mentioned 
sugar to the amount of 2,250,000 kils., valued at $281,250. 

The mining in this state has as yet been undeveloped to 
any considerable extent. The mining districts of the state 
are Atarjea, San Pedro, Escanela, Maconi, El Doctor, or 
Las Aguas. Silver, galena, grey copperas, copper, malachite, 
antimony, iron, cinnabar, native mercury, lignite, anthracite, 



209 

opal, calcedonia, rock crystal, copperas and many other mine- 
rals are found in the state. The Santa Inez^ silver mines and 
Sombrerete, of the mining district of Las Aguas, which pro- 
duces silver, are being worked. The mines of La Sojonia 
and Nuestra Senora de las Nieves, of the mining district of 
Vizarron, and the five quicksilver mines, viz., San Joaquin, 
Senor de la Esperanza, San Jose, and San Lorenzo, of the 
mining district of Tierra Colorada, are also worked. There 
are sixty-nine mines abandoned and idle in the state. 



GUAJSTAJUATO. 



CHAPTER I. 

Topography, Cities and Towns, and Agricultural and 
Mineral Resources. 

The State of Guanajuato is bounded on the north by San 
Luis Potosi, on the east by Quer6taro, south by Michoacan, 
and west by Jalisco. The area of the state is 1,755 square 
leagues. Two ranges of mountains extend through the 
■state ; in the northeastern part the Sierra Gordo, and the 
Sierra de Guanajuato in the central. Beautiful and fertile 
plains are found in the state, among which may be mentioned 
Bajio, situated between the Sierra de Guanajuato and the 
Penjamo mountains, and the valley of Santiago Yuriria. 

The city of Guanajuato, which is the capital of the state, 
is situated ninety-four leagues northwest from the city of 
Mexico, in a canon, surrounded by a rich mineral region. 
The city has 68,000 inhabitants, an imposing governmental 
palace, a theatre, a college, and other public buildings. Leon, 
situated west of the city of Guanajuato, is a manufacturing 
city. The best saddles and leather in the republic are manu- 
factured here. The city has a large trade ; population, 100,- 
000. San Miguel de Allende is a beautiful city situated on 
the declivity of a high hill, with a population of 25,000. The 
streets are well paved. There are several churches, hotels, 
and beautiful squares, and a college in the city, Dolores 
Hidalgo is one of the principal towns of the state, and has 
well paved streets, several fine churches, and plazas. Padre 
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, at this place first proclaimed for 
independence, on Sept. 16, 1810, In the city of Salamanca 
there are several cotton factories, which manufacture un- 
bleached cotton. In Salvatierra there are factories of cotton 
thread, and in Celaya there are several woollen factories. 

The great State of Guanajuato is the second great mining 
state, with no less than 45 mining districts, and 238 mines, 
which were worked in 1878 ; and 317 mines in all, 150 of 
which were of gold and silver, 91 of silver alone, 16 copper, 
17 lead, and 43 of quicksilver. The amount produced in 

210 



211 

these mines during that year reached $5,487,791. There 
were no less than 18,415 of its population engaged in mining, 
while Zacatecas had 19,850. The amount of gold and silver 
coined in its mint up to 1865, was $179,685,745. 

The amount of its principal agricultural productions for 
the same year of 1878, was 581,410,300 kils., valued at $13,- 
652,031, of which 478,396,000 kils. was of corn, valued at 
$10,107,000, and wheat, 35,199,000 kils., value, $1,983,040. 

The past wealth of this state in its mineral productions 
will be found very fuUy set forth in Ward's work on Mexico ; 
but in order to give an idea of the present status, we quote 
the following report by a competent engineer on March 
28, 1881: — 

" The district of La Luz, which some thirty years ago was 
selling over $200,000 weekly, besides remitting ores to the 
haciendas for reduction, is now almost abandoned ; for al- 
though various of the once famous mines are still being 
worked on a small scale, there is but little hope of their ever 
producing anything of importance, being in reality worked 
out. In this category may be included San Juan, Santa 
Lucia, Santa Clara, Refugio, San Vicente, Los Locos, and 
Jesus Maria. Those which offer more hopes at some future 
day, are Purisima, Rosario, and San Pedro, as they have 
grounds stiU to be explored ; but they are all inundated, and 
the cost of drainage, with the present means of effecting it, 
is too costly for the capitalists which at present exist here. 
Megiamora is a mine with an ample territory, the greater part 
of which is unexplored. It is being worked on a limited 
scale, and is not covering its expenses. 

" The adit of San Cayetano, which was opened from the 
river of Santa Ana, and has been driven some 1,500 metres 
through the ground of the mines of Buenos Ayres, San An- 
tonio, and San Calletano de Ovejera, toward El Diamante 
and Megiamora, is still being carried forward, though slowly. 
It is worked by the United States Mexican Mining Company, 
which has continued its operations for a long series of years 
with the greatest constancy ; and although up to date it has 
not been rewarded by the discovery of any important deposit 
of ore, may be compensated, it is to be hoped, at some future 
day, for its perseverance and heavy outlay. 

" La Joya, which at various periods has given handsome 
returns, is at present very poor. The ore in this mine has 
been generally met with in rich deposits or * clavos,' with in- 
tervening spaces of 'borrasca,' so that at any time it may 
present a favorable change. , 



212 

" The drainage at Valenciana is still maintained, but the 
produce from the mine is far from covering the outlay. Cata 
is at present giving some very good ore, and Mellado is leav- 
ing profits, though not large ones. Rayas is very poor, and 
with no immediate prospect of improvement. El Nopal main- 
tains its extraction, and it has been reported that some rich 
ore has been lately cut there. 

" A large number of small mines are being worked in all 
directions, the names of which it would occupy too much 
space to enumerate. On the result of these, the future of 
the district depends, as little can be expected from the old 
and worked-out mines ; while on the contrary, should one or 
more of these new undertakings be attended with favorable 
results, we might regain our past prosperity. 

"The district abounds in mineral deposits, wanting only 
capital and enterprise to develop them, and it is to be hoped 
that the opening up of the country by the railways now in 
construction, may make the interior better known to foreign- 
ers, and induce them to invest some of their capital in mining 
speculations." 

On Jan. 8, 1880, a mining company was formed, called the 
" Society for the Exploration of Mines in Guanajuato." On 
account of the decay of mining in this state, in the exhaus- 
tion of the old mines, this company was formed, with a " fund 
of $1,000,000," subscribed by Mexican capitalists, "to be 
dedicated exclusively, and with the object of prospecting for 
new metallic veins." The old veins have so long been worked 
that no attention has been given apparently to prospecting 
for new veins hitherto. 



ZACATECAS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Description, Cities and Towns, Agricultural and Mineral 

Resources. 

The State of Zacatecas is bounded on the north by Coa- 
huila, southeast by San Luis Potosi, and east by San Luis 
Potosi, Aguas Cahentes, and Jalisco ; on the south by Jahsco 
and Aguas Calientes ; on the west by Durango and Jalisco. 
Area, 6,270 square leagues. The surface of the state has 
the same aspect as Durango, — unequal and mountainous on 
the west, and plains, interrupted by mountain chains, on the 
east. The descent is gradual from the Sierra Madre to the 
plains, and diversified by elevated table lands, wide valleys, 
and deep canons. The region in the southeastern part of the 
state, along the course of the Tlaltenango and Juchipila 
rivers, present a great contrast by their fertility, to the north- 
ern region, which is arid and dismal, excepting that portion 
devoted to cattle raising. The climate is cold in the moun- 
tains, and semitropical in the valleys. The city of Zacatecas 
is the capital of the state, and contains 62,000 inhabitants. 
It is built in a ravine situated in the middle of a mountain, 
consequently its streets are irregular. The government 
palace, city hall, markets, hospital, mint, a theatre, and a 
cathedral, are its principal buildings. It has besides fourteen 
churches, an amphitheatre for bull-fighting, and thirteen 
squares. The city of Fresnillo has about 15,000 inhabitants, 
and is the centre of an old mining district discovered in 1569. 
It has a handsome theatre, a parochial church, market, and 
several squares. The city of Sombrerete is the centre of one 
of the first mining districts of the republic. It is situated in 
a Canada near the boundary of the state, on the road to 
Durango, thirty-six leagues northwest of the city of Zaca- 
tecas, at an elevation of 2,369 metres above the sea level. It 
has a city hall, various churches, chapels, and a population ot 
6,173. The city was founded in 1570, fifteen years after its 
discovery as a mining district. The city of Garcia w»s 

213 



214 

founded in 1531 ; population, 7,255. The city of Villanueva 
was founded in 1691 ; population, 6,065. The city of Nieves 
is an old mining centre established in 1579 ; population, 
1,500. 

This celebrated state is not only a great mining state, 
being the first in the products of its mines, but its agricul- 
tural resources are of no inconsiderable value. The amount 
of corn alone in 1878, reached 234,941,840 kils., valued at 
15,063,560, and wheat to the amount of 21,300,000 kils., 
value, $1,200,000 ; the balance of the principal agricultural 
products swelling the amount to the grand total of 276,043,- 
764 kils.; value, $7,030,717. 

Although many fine and extensive haciendas and ranchos 
are under cultivation, on which are raised wheat, barley, corn, 
beans, peaches, pears, pomegranates, guavas, melons, tomatoes, 
etc., it has vast tracts of table and agricultural lands, and 
some extensive pastures, on which are raised immense herds 
of cattle, sheep, and horses. 



CHAPTER II. 

Mineral Besources. 

During the last few years the mining interests in Zacatecas 
have been on the increase. For the year 1879, the amount 
of gold, silver, and copper coined in the mint of the state, 
which was produced in its own mines, was $5,791,812. There 
are three rich silver and gold bearing lodes running through 
the state, which have produced for the mint up to 1865, 
$204,784,949. There are 16 mining districts, in which 240 
mines were worked in 1878. Of the mines in the state, 21 
were of gold, 67 of gold and silver, 146 of silver alone, 15 of 
copper, 37 of lead, and 16 of quicksilver. The principal 
mining districts are Zacatecas, Esphitu Santo, Chapala, Los 
Arcos, Norias, Ipala, Santa Lucia, Nuevo St. Martins, and 
Naranjal. All of these districts have been worked exten- 
sively, and continue to produce yearly an immense amount 
of bullion, both gold and silver, the principal part of which 
goes to England. The great mineral wealth of this state has 
made it the most celebrated of the republic. Here are located 
some of the oldest and largest mines of the republic. Many 
of these mines have been worked steadily for 300 years, 
some of which have been exhausted, while many others 
are yet rich in metal. The district of Zacatecas is a network 



215 

of large fissure veins, with "cross-cuts," "off shoots," and 
"hilas." Ward, in his "work before mentioned, gives an 
elaborate description of the mines of this state, and we add 
the following: — 

" Pinos is a town of from 3,500 to 4,000 inhabitants, situ- 
ated at an average altitude of 7,775 feet above the sea. It 
lies on a sloping plane at the base of a ridge rising some 
2,000 feet higher. This range of mountains is the ' divide ' 
between the ' gulf slope ' and that of the Pacific Ocean ; Pinos 
being on the eastern or gulf slope. The town at present is 
barelj kept alive by the Candelaria mining and reduction 
works, which furnish employment to a large force of men. 
The valley south and west of the town is a vast overflow 
of volcanic rocks, chiefly trap and trachyte. Ascending 
towards Pinos, we come across a series of low, broad, white 
hills of cretaceous or tertiary age. This bed of sedimentary 
deposits is very narrow here, — not more than five miles, — 
but widens to the northwest. I have traced it up through 
Pinon Blanco, and beyond Real de Angeles. • There are two 
distinct systems of veins observable here, — one differing but 
little from a north and south direction, and the other being 
essentially east and west. The veins of the former do not 
penetrate the porphyry, disappearing immediately the latter 
is encountered, showing that they were formed anterior to, or 
were coincident with this, outflow. The east and west veins, 
on the contrary, are frequently traced through the limestone 
into the porphyry, and, in fact, seem to be more numerous 
and larger in the latter than in the former." These veins have 
lately been explored by Mr. Nelson W. Perry, a mining en- 
gineer of Cincinnati, Ohio (from whose report we take the 
foregoing), and various assays were made of the ores, which 
ran from 113.56 per ton to $143.37. He found that the Es- 
quipulas mines of the Almiranti group " had been not exten- 
sively worked, nor are the ore surfaces now exposed of much 
value. The manner in which it has been worked, too, would 
seem to indicate that no rich ore bodies had been encountered. 
The Almiranti mine lies directly north of and adjoining the 
Esquipulas. The upper portions of the mine have been 
pretty thoroughly picked over by the late owners, and it is 
only in the lower portions that much good ore of good quality 
is now to be seen. The vein extended from a few inches to 
6}4 to 7 feet thick, according to location and development, 
and gave the result by assay as before stated. At the bot- 
tom of the Almiranti the gangue rock is chiefly a hard white 
quartz, associated with more or less calcite or gypsum. The 



216 

ores produce gold and silver. The gold is free and of a high 
grade, and in the highest assay ran $124.02 per ton, and 
119.35 silver. The Ave Maria mine adjoins, and lies directly 
north of the Almiranti. This is an old Spanish mine, but 
the old workings "nobody of late years has been able to 
find." - "Of late years considerable work has been done on 
a small vein dipping strongly to the west. At a depth of 
about 100 feet vertically, this stringer unites with a more 
prominent vein standing more nearly vertically, and corre- 
sponding in many respects to the principal or old vein of the 
Almiranti mine. Here considerable work has been done, but 
of late years it has been so filled with foul gas that nobody 
has attempted to enter." Mr. Perry attempted to explore 
the mine, but failed on account of the gas to reach a satis- 
factory conclusion, further than " demonstrating the presence 
of a strong vein, which had been extensively worked by the 
Spaniards, at a considerable depth. " This mine is located near 
the old Carmen mine, now the property of the Candelaria 
Mining Company. The samples from near the surface of the 
Ave Maria assayed $40.67 and $77.49. The above properties 
are owned by the New York Mexican Mining Company of 
New York. The district of Mazapil, which lies in the north- 
eastern part of the state, was discovered in the first years of 
the conquest and worked at intervals until the beginning of 
the present century, when it was abandoned by the Spaniards 
who were expelled from the country. " The San Eligio is 
located on the Albarradon lode, northeast of the town of 
Mazapil, some five or six miles. The mine is an old one, and 
has reached a depth of 450 feet ; drifts have been run from 
800 to 900 feet in extent. In the interior, the great chamber, 
called * Salon del Bronce,' which is greater than that of the 
' Panilla Grande,' shows that of the two metaliferous chim- 
neys in it, the one to the east is very important, extenduig 
into virgin ground. This salon is 300 feet high. Forty-five 
feet deeper, 120 feet east of this salon, is found the little 
chamber *San Augustine,' which is 75 feet high and 20 
feet wide. The light-colored oxidized ores, with green 
copper, are found to a depth of 400 feet. The chamber 
'San Fernando' is the one farther east. The chamber 
' Caracol ' is 200 feet deeper than the San Fernando, but is 
600 feet farther west, with no opening between them. The 
mine has the advantage of being entirely dry." [Extract 
from an official report of Trinidad Acuiia, M. E.] Samples 
of the ore taken from the old works assayed $49.84 and 
$78.09 per ton. "The Albarradon mine is located in the 



217 

same district," about five miles west of the town of Concep- 
cion del Oro, and just over the crest of the range of moun- 
tains of which Temeroso is the chief. The mine was exten- 
sively worked by the Spaniards in the early history of the 
country, and since that time has been worked constantly, but 
with varying activity, by the natives. This mine has been 
opened to a depth of 800 feet, and samples directly from the 
vein assayed 25.75 ounces of silver per ton." " Entering the 
mine by another opening I found a body of lead ore 12 
feet wide, 50 feet from the surface, which assayed 29y^^ 
ounces silver per ton. Descending 250 feet from this point 
I found a body of ore exposed on three different levels, which 
averaged 8 feet in width and assayed 50 ounces in silver 
to the ton. The ' Santiago,' about one mile east of the Abar- 
radon, is practically a new mine on the old workings, with an 
incline about 30 feet deep; below the incline, about 250 
feet, a tunnel has been started on the vein. At present it is 
only about 20 feet in, but shows a strong vein of 4 
feet in width, with a streak of good ore about 18 
inches wide. The * Promontorio,' situated about one mile 
from Concepcion, has been worked in a similar manner to 
the mines already described, the openings showing that a 
great deal of ore has been extracted, while large bodies of 
rich copper ore are still to be seen, the mine having been 
chiefly worked for the sulphurets of copper, they finding a 
readier market here ; while the oxidized ores, carrying from 
20 to 30 per cent, of copper and 11 to 15 ounces 
of silver to the ton, have, when possible, been left 
standing. The * Cabrestante ' is about one-eighth of a mile 
from Concepcion, but presents in the old workings the same 
features as the other mines. At the old shaft two veins 
intersect each other, one of which was formerly worked for 
gold, and gave to the town its name " Concepcion del Oro." 
The other was worked for copper, and as depth is obtained 
the copper in both veins increases. In the old openings 
large bodies of ore, rich in copper and with 50 ounces of 
silver per ton, are still standing." [Extract from a report of 
H. F. Wild, M. E. for the Mexican Syndicate of New York.] 



AGUAS OALIENTES. 



CHAPTER I. 



Physical Features, Cities and Towns, Agricultural, and 
Mineral Resources. 

The State of Aguas Calientes is bounded on the north and 
west by Zacatecas, south by Zacatecas and Jalisco, on the 
southeast by Jalisco, and northeast by Zacatecas ; area, 327 
square leagues. 

The eastern part of the state is covered with plains, the 
western part by mountains. The capital of the state is the 
city of Aguas Calientes, which has 35,000 inhabitants. The 
city has thirteen churches, one hospital, one penitentiary for 
wonien, a city hall, a market, and fine public walks. 

The state is small and its agricultural productions are pro- 
portionally less than the states surrounding. Its productions 
in the staple articles amount to 39,918,000 kilograms, value 
$1,048,916. The products comprise corn, beans, wheat, pep- 
per, lentils, tobacco, potatoes, all the fruits and vegetables of 
warm and cold climates, pulque, also a liquor made out of the 
cactus fibre, called colonche, wines, alcohol, cheese, etc. The 
soil is rich and well adapted to agriculture ; value of its real 
estate, $2,827,179. The state possesses twenty-seven schools, 
an institute, a catholic seminary, and two libraries. The 
mineral wealth of the state is as yet undeveloped. In the 
mining districts of Asientos and Tepezala, fifteen leagues 
northeast of the capital, are the old abandoned mines of San 
Francisco, Romana, and the Descubridora, Cristo, San Anto- 
nio de los Pobres, which tradition says were formerly rich 
mines. In the Descubridora a vein 11.7 metres wide was 
worked. In the district of Calpulalpan the mines of San 
Pedro del Bosque and La Purisima are found. 

218 



JAJLISCO. 



CHAPTER I. 

Topography, Cities and Towns, and Agricultural and 
Mineral Resources. 

The State of Jalisco is one of the first states of the re- 
public. It is bounded on the north by Sinaloa and Durango, 
Zacatecas and Aguas Calientes; on the east by Zacatecas, 
San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato and Michoacan ; on the south 
by Colima and Michoacan, and on the west by the Pacific 
Ocean. The Sierra Madre range runs almost through the 
centre of the state, from north to south. Large and rich 
valleys, -well watered, are found on both sides of the moun- 
tains. The state is well timbered with all the trees indige- 
nous to the soil, and it has a climate which varies according 
to the altitude, — cool at Lagos, La Barca, and Cololtan, tem- 
perate at Guadalajara and Etzatlan, warm at Aultan and 
Tepic and San Bias, and variable in Sayula; area, 8,324 
square leagues. The city of Guadalajara is the capital of the 
state, and has 93,875 inhabitants. The city is well laid out, 
with paved streets crossing each other at right angles, gener- 
ally with an average width of about 30 feet, but with narrow 
sidewalks. The city extends over two miles square, and has 
sixteen public squares, most of which are ornamented with 
rows of beautiful trees. The cathedral of Guadalajara has 
a spire 200 feet high, and presents in its architecture a com- 
bination of the Arabian and Moorish, or modern Gothic style, 
with its pointed arches, clustered pillars, lofty towers, and 
flying buttresses. This building is located on the north side 
of the Plaza de Armas, the principal public square, and is 
situated in the centre of the city. The government palace 
is a commanding edifice, of the Doric style of architecture, 
presenting a massive and grand appearance, nevertheless rich 
and graceful. Los Portales de Comercio, consisting of ar- 
cades around three large square blocks of houses, are also 
numbered among the principal architectural features of the 
city. The streets opposite the plaza are wide and weU 

219 



220 

paved. There are, aside from the cathedral, nearly twenty 
other churches, the bishop's palace, the government mint, 
custom house, and the public theatre. 

Guadalajara is the principal seat of the cotton and wool 
manufacturing industries of the country There are a large 
number of mills here and in the immediate vicinity. They 
are all outside the city limits. Four are particularly promi- 
nent, — the El Escoba, with 3,300 spindles, the Atanupac, with 
5,000 spindles, the Salto, with 500 spindles, and the Experi- 
ence, with 1,000 spindles. These are most all on the banks 
of the beautiful stream that supplies them with water, in the 
midst of charming scenery and gardens of tropical fruits and 
flowers of every conceivable variety. There are other mills 
of lesser importance, most of which have been erected within 
a few years past. As a general thing, these mills are what 
are known as the 120-loom mills, and employ in the vicinity 
of 300 hands. There are, however, quite a number of 60-loom 
mills, and some smaller and a few larger ones. 

The city is located 150 leagues from the city of Mexico, 
and does a large trade. It pos*sesses a university, a college, 
an academy of painting, drawing, architecture, sculpture, 
and a seminary. The city of Tepic is located about twenty- 
five miles from the port of San Bias, and has about 15,000 
inhabitants. The custom house was for many years at Tepic, 
located there on account of the unhealthy climate of San 
Bias, the principal port of the state. The city has some im- 
portance as a manufacturing place, and is celebrated for its 
good quality, of cigars. The city seems to be situated on a 
level plain, and laid out somewhat with a view to right 
angles ; notwithstanding, near the town rolling eminences 
protrude in various shapes. The streets and sidewalks are 
narrow. The private dwellings among the rich or wealthier 
classes have court-yards in the centre of their residences, with 
columns, arches, balconies, balustrades, suitable to the con- 
struction and number of stories. The valley in which the 
city is located extends over an area of 10 miles square, and 
possesses a very fertile soil, and is devoted to the production 
of sugar-cane, coffee, cotton, rice, sweet potatoes, and corn. 
The port of San Bias is situated about 25 miles west of Tepic, 
and 116 leagues from Guadalajara. Through this port most 
of the foreign trade of the state is carried on. The city of 
Lago has about 10,000 inhabitants, and is an important manu- 
facturing place. 

This state is one of the rich mining and agricultural states 
of the republic. The production of corn in this state reaches 



221 

748,410,000 kils,, valued at $15^811,479, and wheat, 88,910.- 
000 kils., value, $4,377,957, with some other agricultural prod- 
ucts, making a grand total of $20,862,066. Vast herds of 
live stock are raised in the state, no less than 470,460 head 
being reported in 1878. 

The mineral wealth of this state is well known. Some of 
its mining districts have produced immense wealth. The 
mining districts have been described by Ward, in his work 
on Mexico, and we refer our readers to his account. The 
principal minerals are those of Bolanos (an old district for- 
merly very productive, but now almost exhausted), Copala, 
Hostotipaquillo and Anonas, Reyes, Estancia, Cuale, San Se- 
bastian, Socorro, Favor, Limon, and Comanja. The district of 
Tepic contains 8 minerals, and 56 mines. The mining district 
of San Sebastian, 60 miles south of the city of Tepic, is al- 
most abandoned. Some 86 mines are worked in the district 
of Talpa, and 54 in the district of Tequila. There are no 
less than 47 mining districts, in which 303 mines are being 
worked, out of 415 mines in the state. 

" Las Animas group of silver mines are 6 in number, and 
are known as the *San Julian,' 'San Antonio,' 'Colorado 
de Los Tapos,' * De San Francisco,' and * Las Animas,' and 
are situated in the mineral district of Acaponeta, State of 
Jalisco, some 120 miles southeast of Mazatlan, and 36 miles 
from the port of Las Flores. This group of mines has 
been worked by the early Spaniards. The veins average from 

3 to 9 feet in width ; at the present time, all of them are filled 
with water excepting the Las Animas ; here a shaft has been 
sunk to the depth of 95 feet The vein at the bottom was 

4 feet wide ; samples obtained from these points gave from 
$106.16 to $1,406.25. The ore is free milling, and very sim- 
ilar in character to that produced on the Comstock, Nevada. 
The extent of mining ground embraced in all of these loca- 
tions is 1,800 feet in length, by 600 feet in width. The 
topography of the country is such, that the veins could be 
tapped the depth of 300 feet by means of a tunnel some 
250 feet in length. In addition to the mining ground, there 
belongs to the property one square league of good timber 
land, with abundance of water for all the purposes of mining 
and milling by steam." [From a report of Thomas Price, 
San Francisco, April 14, 1881.] 



COLIMA. 



CHAPTER I. 



Description, Cities and Towns, Factories and Agricultural 
Resources, Coffee Plantations, etc. 

The State of Colima, so celebrated for its coffee, is bounded 
on the north and northwest by Jalisco, southeast by Micho- 
acan, and southwest by the Pacific Ocean ; area, 9,700 kils. 
square, or 652 leagues square. This state is an agricultural 
and manufacturing state, and is covered with a good soil ex- 
tending over a plain which is diversified by many isolated 
hills and spurs of the Sierras. The state is well watered by 
streams, and is highly cultivated. The valley of Colima 
possesses a large scope of productive land, adapted to growths 
of hot climates. Apparently it is situated in a basin sur- 
rounded with mountain ridges, except on the southeast and 
northwest, and extending to the base of the volcano of 
Colima. It is computed to embrace the superficial area of 
100 square leagues of arable land, or near 5,000 acres. 

The city of Colima has 31,774 inhabitants, and was founded 
by Cortez after his return from Spain, between the years 
1522 and 1524. The city is situated on the plain of Colima, 
80 miles from the port of Manzanillo, the principal port of 
the state. It is the capital of the state, and is laid out regu- 
larly, with narrow streets crossing at right angles. The style 
of architecture observed, with reference to the church, the 
residences and the stores, is an imitation of the modern 
Gothic and Moorish order. Many of the courts are orna- 
mented with fountains, and tropical trees and plants. 

Colima is also quite a centre for the cotton manufactures. 
The one-story buildings of an establishment near this city 
surround a square which blooms with all the glory of tropic 
vegetation, poetizing even the prosaic occupation of cotton 
weaving. A wheel, 42 feet in diameter, is required to run 
the looms here. Two thousand spindles are worked, and give 
employment to 250 men and women. Another mill near by, 
the Armonia, has 800 spindles, and gives employment to 80 

222 



223 

hands. Still another, the Atrevida, has 25 looms, 800 spin- 
dles, and 80 operatives. 

Manzanillo is a town of some 1,000 inhabitants, very 
prettily situated, and about 90 miles from Colima, a city of 
16,000 population ; is rapidly rising, and has good trade with 
San Francisco. 

The annual imports amount to between $800,000 and 
$900,000, consisting principally of English cotton goods, 
assorted hardware, and groceries from Germany. The Eng- 
lish goods are brought here per steamers via Panama ; while 
the heavier articles, such as hardware, groceries, etc., are 
brought in sailing vessels around Cape Horn. The entire 
trade is in the hands of the Germans, who have their princi- 
pal establishment or home office in Hamburg, which furnishes 
the capital ; with branch houses in Manchester for the pur- 
chase of goods, and others in Colima and Guadalajara for the 
sale of them. 

The general run of all the import business is as follows : 
The Hamburg house sends every month through their agents 
in Manchester a certain amount of English dry goods, common 
prints, etc., per steamer via Panama, and annually one or two 
cargoes of assorted merchandise via Cape Horn ; these goods 
are sent either in consignment, or joint account with the 
Colima house, who pay their invoices in remittances in eagle 
dollars to the bank of England. A consignment of goods by 
steamer, if sold promptly, requires from 16 to 18 months 
time to be finally settled, whUe a consignment per sailing 
vessel requires fully two and a half years for final settle- 
ment. The interest for this long time is added to the prices 
of the goods at the rate of one per cent per month. This 
monotonous system of business — abstaining strictly from 
any other enterprise — has been carried out by the German 
merchants ever since their trading with Mexico, for over 30 
years. Their head house in Hamburg prohibits the invest- 
ment of funds in any other enterprise, and not a cent of their 
capital is employed in mines, agriculture, or mechanical 
industry. 

The State of Colima and the surrounding country has 
plenty of fertile soil well adapted to the culture of tropical 
productions, such as cotton, coffee, rice, sugar, etc. The 
present annual production is about 5,000 bales of cotton, at 
an average of 18 cents per pound ; 1,000 tons of sugar, at an 
average of 8 cents; 80O tons of rice, at an average of 4 
cents ; 40 tons of coffee, at an average of 22 cents, and 20 tons 
indigo at an average of 75 cents ; with the exception of small 



224 

lots exported to Mazatlan, Guaymas, etc., this whole produc- 
tion finds consumption in the States of Colima and Jalisco. 
The State of Colima alone has sufficient rich and fertile lands 
to produce 60 times the above mentioned quantities of trop- 
ical productions. Agriculture is here in its first infancy, and 
besides American axes and shovels, no modern implements are 
in use. The difficulties of moving the products to a market 
are great drawbacks, for even wagon roads are almost un- 
known ; everything has to be carried by pack-animals for 
distances of from 60 to 500 miles. Coffee plantations are 
considered one of the best investments for capital ; abundant 
lands well adapted to coffee culture, and situated near the 
City of Colima, can be had at $10 per acre. The average 
cost of a coffee tree four years old, including cost of land, la- 
bor, planting, etc., is calculated at 35 cents ; a tree wiU fur- 
nish 1 pound of coffee the 4th year and 2 pounds every subse- 
quent year. According to these calculations capital invested 
in a coffee plantation would give the handsome interest of 
25 per cent, the 4th year, and 50 the year following. 

The exports consist principally of Mexican eagle dollars, 5 
or 6 cargoes of cedar, and small quantities of hides, and the 
annual export amounts to about $400,000 in round figures. 

The amount of corn raised in 1878 was 39,100 kils., value 
$650,701 ; coffee, 900,000 kils,, value $226,000 ; cotton, 1,500,- 
000 kils., value $156,250; total productions, 43,808,250 kils. j 
value $1,206,274 ; value of real estate, $2,789,515. 



MICHOACAN. 



CHAPTER I. 



Topography, Cities and Towns, Factories and Agricul- 
tural ResoTiroes. 

The State of Michoacan possesses great mineral and agri- 
cultural resources. Its surface is covered with vast inclined 
plains of gentle grade sloping towards the Pacific coast, 
which are intersected by branches of the Cordillera, The 
Sierra Madre enters the state in the district of Coalcoman. 
The state is bounded on the north by Jalisco, Guanajuato 
'and Quer^taro ; on the east by Mexico and part of Guerrero ; 
on the south by Guerrero and the Pacific Ocean ; on the west 
by Colima and Jalisco; area, 3,487 square leagues. The 
principal cities are Morelia, the capital, with 25,000 inhabit- 
ants, Zamora, Uruapan, Puruandiro, Tacambaro, Zitacuaro, 
Maravatio, Ario, La Piedad, Patzcuaro, and Jiquilpan. Maru- 
ata is the principal port of the state, situated on the Pacific 
Ocean. In the city of Morelia considerable trade is carried 
on. Two cotton and woolen factories, called *' La Paz " and 
"La Union," a large candle manufactory, tobacco manufac- 
tories and breweries are located herie. Patzcuaro is the third 
town of the state, and is situated on the margin of a beauti- 
ful lake of the same name, which Baron Humboldt declared 
to be one of the most beautiful on the globe. The lake con- 
tains five small islands, covered with a rich tropical vegeta- 
tion and flowers. Uruapan is one of the most flourishmg towns 
of the state. The soil is very rich around the town, and among 
other productions an excellent quality of coffee is raised. A 
cotton factory called the " El Paraiso " is also located here. 

The state is great in its unbounded resources, and while 
its mineral wealth is well known, tiie mines producing in 
1878 $1,654,820, the agricultural productions for the same 
year were $11,970,917. This includes corn, $8,630,790; 
wheat, 1569,000 ; sugar, $1,068,750. Thus we may see, that 
besides her mines, Michoacan has many other elements of 
wealth ; in fact, this particular section seems to be one with 

225 



226 

which nature has been singularly prodigal in her most choice 
gifts. Within the limits of this state we have every climate, 
from the torrid to the moderately cold, the vegetation being 
as varied as the climate. Near the coast, sugar-cane, cotton, 
rice, indigo, cochineal, vanilla and every variety of tropical 
fruits grow with a luxuriousness unsurpassed anywhere. On 
the table land, wheat, barley, Indian corn, tobacco, and all 
the fruits and vegetables of the temperate zone grow in the 
greatest abundance. 

Taking everything into consideration, notwithstanding the 
many and various attractions of other favored sections, 
Michoacan is perhaps the most attractive state in the Mexi- 
can republic. Here there are many large haciendas and 
villages and towns, yet the country is sparsely inhabited and 
presents a most attractive field for colonization. Here emi- 
grants have a choice of climate and products, and thousands 
of industrious settlers could, within a very few years, make 
for themselves comfortable, happy homes, and all such emi- 
grants would be welcomed with open arms by the people. 



CHAPTER II. 

The Mineral Resources of Michoacan. 

In the interest of the Michoacan Syndicate, which is com- 
posed of a number of New York and Mexican gentlemen of 
high standing, Mr. Le Row proceeded to Morelia, in company 
with Messrs, Foote and Simpson, mining engineers sent out 
by the syndicate from New York. The mines of the follow- 
ing districts were minutely and scientifically examined by 
these three gentlemen : Chapatuato, Ozumatlan, and Zinda. 

Chapatuato contains what Mr. Le Row pronounces one of 
the finest mines he ever saw, the San Nicolas. This is a 
mine which was abandoned by the Spaniards on their ex- 
pulsion from the country, but had not been extensively 
worked. The principal vein in this mine is nineteen metres 
in width, and assays from $100 to $1,000 per ton, with a 
slight percentage of gold which of itself is sufficient to pay 
all the expenses of the extraction and reduction, thus leaving 
the silver clear profit. The ore is both hard and soft, but all 
easily worked. The syndicate owns 3,200 metres on this 
lode. In this district the following other mines have been 
secured by the syndicate : Santa Rita, La Purisima, La Pro- 
videucia, and Guadalupe, all of which are very promising. 



227 

The ChapatuatoKiver furnishes an abundant suppljr of water, 
and timber is plentiful. The ruins of an old Spanish reduc- 
tion work are still standing, and there is a splendid site 
for a modern mill. This district is situated fifteen leagues 
nearly south of Morelia, in a spur of the Sierra Madre. 

Ozumatlan, which was formerly a large town, is situated 
fourteen leagues southeast of Morelia, and was at one tir^'^ 
the centre of one of the most prosperous mining regions in 
Mexico, all the remaining indications attesting the enormous 
scale on which mining was at one time conducted. There 
are still in existence reliable records showing that the sum 
of $4,800,000 was paid by the mines of this district in church 
tithes to the cathedral in Morelia, which building, although 
despoiled of its wealth by General Miramon, still retains 
many evidences of its former magnificence. The district of 
Ozumatlan contains many old and very extensive mines, the 
veins in which are large and of a very good quality of quartz 
ore easily treated. The syndicate owns the San Vicente 
mine, the vein of which is twenty-one feet wide, the ore 
being very good, containing both silver and gold. The fol- 
lowing mines have also been purchased by the syndicate : 
La Purisima, El Carmen, San Cayetano, San Pedro, La Con- 
cepcion, San Juan, La Melchora, San Antonio, and others. 
Wood and water are found here in abundance, as in the dis- 
trict of Chapatuato. The Mexican National Railway will 
pass within seven miles of the town of Ozumatlan. 

The district of Zinda lies high up in the pine country, and 
is essentially a gold producing region. Here there is a regu- 
lar network of gold-bearing veins or fissures on the surface, 
and the indications are that they all meet at a depth of about 
2,000 feet. The Ore is hard, but very easily worked. All 
the mines in this district are comparatively new. Wood and 
water are abundant. The syndicate has purchased the fol- 
lowing named mines in the district of Zinda : Santa Ger- 
trudis. El Caiman, San Miguel, La Purisima, and many 
others. Roads at present can hardly be said to lead to 
either of the above named districts, and transportation is 
usually conducted by means of pack-mules. However, good 
wagon roads can be made to all at a comparatively small 
expense. 

Mr. Le Row visited the districts of San Diego and Curu- 
cupaseo, 35 leagues distant from Morelia, in company with 
Sr. Maximiniano Rocha, the prefect of Morelia. In the 
San Diego district are situated, on opposite sides of the San 
Diego River, the Eure^ and Nevada silver mines ; the latter 



228 

is located on an immense lode of galena ore ; the former has 
three veins, all exceedingly rich. There are also some gold 
mines in the vicinity. At Curucupaseo, the Cal y Canto, La 
Soledad, and El Caiman mines are very good, having an 
abundance of very rich ore, but the mines have been worked 
a great deal and are very deep. Here are ruins of an enor- 
mous reduction work, several churches and numbers of large 
houses; everything showing that the work must have been 
carried on on a large scale and very profitably. The mines 
which have been mentioned in the above named districts be- 
long to Governor Octaviano Fernandez, and Messrs. Solor- 
zano, Rocha, and Gravenhorst, all of Morelia. 

Mr. Le Row visited 12 miles southwest of Morelia a 
tract of land where may be seen an immense deposit of what 
by a casual observer would be thought red clay. This deposit 
was discovered in April last by Mr. William Denton, and has 
proved to be an immense body of decomposed gold-bearinii- 
quartz, which assays from 1X00 to $200 a ton. Mr. Le Row 
had pits from 6 to 8 feet deep, and from 30 to 50 yards 
apart, sunk over a large area of country, from which 29 
assays were made with the result already stated. A tract of 
4,000 metres was "denoUiiced" by Mr. Le Row, Mr. Denton, 
and three other persons. 

Mr. James Sullivan, of the Mexican National Railroad 
Company, says of the mines in the state of Michoacau, one 
of which, although worked by the old and primitive methods, 
yielded in February last $'4,000,000 of bullion, that the 
rumous mines of Chihuahua were nothing in comparison to 
the mines of this state. They woukl, he had no doubt, in 
time attract capitalists from the states ; and when worked 
with modern machinery, and by Americans, would treble 
tiieir present yield. 

"The Tlalpujahua mining district is one of the principal 
districts of the' state. The first mineral that was found in 
this district was by a " Vaquero," a herder of cattle named 
Corona, in the latter part of the sixteenth century. He 
found, on what is now known as the Corona's vein, some 
native silver outcropping on the surface, for a distance of 
9 feet; of this, he informed his employer, who began 
work. The Corona's vein is about 3 miles in length, by 
about 26 feet in width, outcropping almost the entire 
length. On said vein there are several mines. Among them 
are the Concepcion group, composed of four contiguous 
claims, which are worked by a company composed of the 
following gentlemen: Mr. Sotero Pena, Daniel W. Kline, 



229 

Rafael Sanchez, and three other gentlemen of Chicago. The 
mine is now in bonanza, taking some 10 tons of ore daily, 
that run on an average 600 ounces silver, and from one-half to 
two ounces in gold per ton ; and very often they take ore that 
runs over $4,000, The latter sometimes Las been shipped to 
Germany. This company have a Hacienda de Beneficio, or 
reduction works, composed of two arrastras, and a five-stamp 
mill, by which they only work about 5 tons of ore in 
24 hours. Their reduction works will be increased by ten 
more stamps in a very short time. On the same vein, and 
adjoining the Concepcion, on the southwest end, are the 
Aztec group, composed of four and one-half claims, amongst 
which is found the great " Descubridora," where Corona 
found the native silver. These mines are only 500 feet in 
depth, of which 300 are in water. The principal owners, 
Messrs. D. W. Kline, M. J. Pena, and Sotero Pena, are now 
making arrangements to drain them and put up a ten-stamp 
miU. The ore found on the old workings above water level, 
is very much the same nature as the Concepcion ore, but in 
some places it is found much richer in gold than any other 
group on the same vein. The southwest end of the Aztec 
group is joined by the Coloradillas, which is composed of 
four claims. These mines are under water, and have but re- 
cently been re-located by some rich miners from the mining 
districts of Pachuca Real del Monte. It is understood that 
they will develop them in a very short time, and place on 
said property a forty-stamp mill. On the northeast end line 
of the Concepcion are located the Santa Rosa claims, or 
group, which have been re-located for over a year, by a 
Frenchman, who is trying to organize a company. This 
group is composed of four claims. 

The great Borda vein is over two miles long, and it is a 
very well-defined fissure, about 15 feet wide. It outcrops 
almost the entire length, showing its high grade ores from 
the surface. The ores found in this vein are black sul- 
phurets and ruby-silver, carrying a good percentage of gold. 
The latter is more abundant from the surface down 500 feet. 
Oq this vein there are the ** Borda Mines," a group composed 
of seven claims, well developed by several shafts and tunnels. 
This group is owned by a company composed of Americans 
and Mexicans, the owners being Mr, H, Z, Culver of Chicago, 
Sotero Pena of Tlalpujahua, M. J. Pena of Colorado, L. F. 
Burrell, and A. M. Culver of Chicago. These gentlemen are 
working their mines up to water level until their pumps 
reach the district. The pumps to be used on these mines 



230 

are of large dimensions, as they are about 250 feet under 
water in some places. These gentlemen have on the way 
machinery with a capacity of 75 tons, to reduce the ores 
already on the dump, from some of the old workings. This 
group of mines is one of the richest in Mexico, according to 
the records kept by the " Deputacion de Mineria," and also 
the records kept by the general government, which show 
that the said mines paid taxes on $-35,000,000 worth of bul- 
lion besides 12,000,000 expended by the owner of them 
at the time, in building a church and charitable buildings, 
which still are in existence at said town of Tlalpujahua. 

The richest ores extracted from these mines were taken from 
the surface 550 feet down. The richest ores that are found on 
the vein began at a depth of 500 feet, where native silver 
was found in great quantities. It is ascertained that at the 
actual depth there is a body of ore, 3 feet wide, that will 
yield very profitably. On the same vein are other mines, 
owned by some of the natives, who do work only to hold 
them. At the same time they take out ore enough to make 
their living, mining and working it themselves, by the primi- 
tive processes. Some of them are in hopes to get capital to 
work them for an interest, or by leasing the properties. 

In the same district there are several other veins of smaller 
width, but are probably not as rich as the two main veins 
of the district. On said veins there are a great number of 
mines located and owned by natives, some of whom have 
arrastras, and others not even those, to beneficiate their min- 
erals extracted. — [Report of Sotero Pena, November, 1882.] 



GUEEKEEO. 



CHAPTER I. 
Description and Resources, Cities and Towns. 

The State of Guerrero is bounded on the north by Puebla, 
Mexico and Michoacan ; on the east by Oaxaca ; on the south 
and south west by the Pacific Ocean ; and on the west and 
northwest by Michoacan. 

The northern part of the state, north of the river Balsas, is a 
rough and uneven, inclined plain, jutting out from the Sierra 
Madre range. The surface of the state from the coast rises 
in successive table lands, which continue until they reach the 
mountain range, which run through the centre of the state 
from the northwest to the southeast. The whole state is 
mountainous, but has many fertile lands on the elevated 
lands and in the valleys. The climate is on the whole quite 
warm, and very unhealthy on .the flat lands of the coast. 
The area of the state is 3,564 square leagues. All the tropi- 
cal fruits are produced and the various cereals. Timber is 
found in a great variety on the mountain sides. The mineral 
wealth of the state is very great ; no less than 460 mines 
were known to exist in the state in 1880. Among the princi- 
pal mining districts may be mentioned, Cuitlanapa, Tasco, 
Hidalgo, Aldama, Brazos, Morelos, and Chilapa. In Huil- 
zuco are found rich quicksilver, silver and coal mines. Gold 
placers have been discovered recently which promise to be 
richer than those found in California in the United States in 
1849 and 1850. 

Chilpancigo is the capital of the state, and has 3,000 inhab- 
itants. Atoyac has a cotton factory. Tasco is a mining 
town, celebrated for its rich mines of gold and silver, and ex- 
cellent climate. Acapulco has an harbor nearly land-locked, 
and one of the best in the world. Vessels can anchor almost 
alongside the granite rocks, so deep is the water. This used 
to be the great emporium between the Spanish East Indies 
and the Spanish dominions in Mexico. It now bids fair to 
recover its former importance. It has a population of 3,600 
inhabitants, and similar to other Mexican cities in appearance 

231 



232 

with its narrow streets, and long, low buildings, and roofs of 
tile. The exports of Acapulco with various countries for the 
year ending Sept. 30, 1878, amounted to 1139,336.28, and the 
imports for the same time amounted to $378,924. While 
the exports of Acapulco with the United States alone for 
same date were 138,441.28, and the imports, 144,800. This 
country is rich in miaes of untold wealth, consisting of gold, 
silver, marble, etc. 

This is the starting point to the great metropolis, the city 
of Mexico, which is only about three hundred miles away. 
The conveyance is by horseback, or rather, that of mule or 
donkey, to Cuernavaca, and thence by stage to the city. The 
length of time from Acapulco is eight to ten days for travel- 
lers, but the mail is taken in about half that time. The scen- 
ery all along this route surpasses in grandeur that of any 
other portion of the republic. 

The agricultural products of the state in 1878 was of corn 
170,229,000 kils., value, 13,063,800 ; cotton, 1,980,000 kils., 
value, 1495,000. Total amount of productions, 183,018,060 
kils., value $4,087,750. 



MEXICO. 



CHAPTER I. 

Topography, Cities and Towns, Agricultural and Mineral 

Eesources. 

The State of Mexico is bounded on the north by Hidalgo ; 
northwest by Queretaro ; west by Miohoacau ; south by 
Guerrero and Morelos ; east by Puebla and Tlaxcala. The 
federal district, in which is located the federal capital, the 
city of Mexico, was originally a part of this state, and is sur- 
rounded by the districts of Tenango, Lerma, TJalnepantla, 
Tetzcoco and Chalco, of the State of Mexico. The area of 
the state is 20,300 square kilometres. The state presents a 
succession of beautiful valleys or plains, surrounded by 
mountains. These valleys nestle in the highest table lands 
of the whole republic, and possess a climate from a pleasant 
temperature to the cold. The valley of Toluca is the highest 
inhabited land of Mexico, being 8,638 feet, or 3,110 varas 
above the level of the sea. The climate is consequently cold. 
The district of Tlalnepantla is composed of rich plains, and 
has a fine climate. The city of the same name is the sum- 
mer resort for the inhabitants of the city of Mexico. The 
district of Tetzcoco comprises the lowest portion of the valley 
of Mexico, where all its waters unite and form the two great 
lakes of Tetzcoco and Chalco. The waters of the lakes are 
unfit to drink, and, according to analysis, contain carbonate 
of soda, sulphate of soda, marine salt, and vegetable matter. 
The other portion of the district of Tetzcoco is a rolling 
country with a fine climate. The city of Toluca is the capi- 
tal, with 11,376 inhabitants. The state has 16 mineral dis- 
tricts, with 127 mines that are being worked, 21 haciendas 
de beneficio, 3 iron foundries, 4 cotton and woollen factories, 
24 distilleries, 2 breweries, 3 gas works, 1 salt factory, 1 
tobacco and 2 varnish factories, 34 molinas de caiia, 57 flour 
mills, and 5 acid manufactories. 

The mineral resources of this state have proved of immense 
wealth ; and on account of their proximity to the great mint 

233 



234 

of Mexico city, which originally by law coined all the silver 
of the republic that was coined, the mines have been 
worked at considerable depth, and in many instances with no 
evidences of exhaustion. There are many old and abandoned 
as well as exhausted mines, but the production is great from 
the mines at present worked. Mr, Ward has given, iu his 
work before referred to, an elaborate description of the old 
mines, to which we refer our readers, as well as his descrip- 
tion of the mines of other states, and confine ourselves to 
the following summary from a report made at New York, 
May 15, 1880, by Mr. Louis Janin, one of the best miniug 
engineers in the country : " The Mineral del Oro is situated 
in the Canada del Oro, which is one of a number in the 
neighborhood of the mountain called Somera, and is upon 
the western or Pacific side of the mountain chain that sepa- 
rates the waters which flow into the Atlantic from the waters 
which flow into the Pacific Ocean. The district is in the 
northwestern portion of the state, near the boundary line of 
the State of Michoacan. It is held by some that these mines 
are on the course of the great mineral belt which passes 
from the famous mines of Guanajuato to the equally re- 
nowned mines of Real del Monte. The distance from the 
city of Mexico, in an air line, is about 60 miles, or by the 
stage road to Morelia about 120 miles. The neighborhood 
of the Mineral del Oro is lovely. The mountains are well 
wooded with oak and pine and cedar, and the valleys are 
under excellent cultivation. The population of the town of 
El Oro and the adjacent villages is usually about 3,000, and 
the productions of corn, barley and wheat is ample for a 
much larger number. The altitude of El Oro above the sea 
is, I believe, about 9,000 feet ; the climate is cool and agree- 
able at all times, though there are occasionally heavy frosts 
in winter. The veins of this district were known, and some 
of them successfully worked, long before the independence 
of Mexico. Probably they were among the first which the 
Spanish exploited after the conquest of the country, nearly 
360 years ago. Several bonanzas were encountered which 
yielded good profit ; but those mines, like many others in the 
country, were abandoned during the war of independence. 
The same mines were, in 1825, worked by an English and 
Mexican company. The expense entailed by an extravagant 
management in some years later led to the abandonment of 
the property. The mines then became the property of Don 
Manuel J. Madrid, who sold them to the El Oro Mining 
Company of New York. The San Rafael is the easternmost 



* 235 

of a groTip of VBins widch. are more or less parallel to one 
another, and which have a general northwesterly course and 
a dip to the west of 70 to 80 degrees. The ChiQauahua, San 
Acacio, Descubridora, Mahomeros and San Rafael are the 
leading ones, and aU have been worked to some extent. The 
Descubridora vein was from 6 to 15 feet wide, which yielded 
about $50 In silver and $35 in gold, per ton. A shaft 950 
feet in depth was sunk at a point some distance to the west 
of the Descubridora, upon the hanging wall side between 
that vein and the San Eafael, which struck the vein. A 
drift was then run 1,100 feet in length, which cut the San 
Rafael vein 600 feet below its present working. Other tun- 
nels and shafts have been carried on, showing an extensive 
working, that of the San Rafael vein being worked over a 
length of some 1,500 feet in the aggregate. The country 
rock is a clay slate, with occasional bands of slate of a more 
micaceous and chlorite character. This slate is in horizontal 
layers, and is overlapped by a heavy deposit of conglomerate, 
and this again is covered in places with an overflow of 
trachytic porphyry. The vein breaks through the slate, but 
is covered by the conglomerate and other superimposed 
masses of rock. The gangue of the vein is a compact cellu- 
lar and crystalHne quartz, intermixed with a good deal of 
carbonate of lime, which in some places is highly silicious. 
The metals found in the vein are native gold, generally in a 
very finely divided slate, and native silver in small quanti- 
ties. Both the silver and gold occur as free milling ores. 
The body of ore (which in the San Rafael was 50 or 60 feet 
wide) found in the San Antonio mine or shaft was 20 to 2-i 
feet wide. The ore in the San Antonio yields on an average 
from $12 to $14 per ton. The amount of ore left standing 
in the San Antonio is very large. Along the bottom of the 
lowest level of the working there is a shoot of ore of un- 
proved dimensions, but which carries high grade ore for at 
least 45 or 50 feet. This ore assays $45 in gold and $40 in 
silver. Along the bottom level of the foot wall seam of the 
Sau Rafael is a large and even richer body of ore, 4 to 6 feet 
wide, that assayed $86.32 in gold, and $28.85 silver." 

In 1881, there were 39 mines worked in the Temascaltepec 
district. The La Magdalena was the principal mine, which 
yielded 50 marcs of silver to the carga of 300 pounds. The 
other principal mining districts are Sultepec, Cristo, and 
Zacualpan. The agricultural productions of the state in 1878 
were corn, 437,142,030 kils., value, $9,235,395 ; wheat, 11.650.- 
980, value, $820,490. Total, 495,758,955, value, $11,282,127. 



HIDALGO. 



CHAPTER I. 

Topography, Cities and Towns, and Agricultural 
Productions. 

The state of Hidalgo is one of the richest states of the 
republic, both in mineral and agricultural productions. The 
state is bounded on the north by San Luis Potosi ; on the 
east by Vera Cruz and Puebla ; on the south by Tlaxcala and 
Mexico ; on the southwest by Mexico, and northwest by 
Queretaro ; area fifteen hundred and twenty-one square 
leagues. The surface of the state is crossed by numer- 
ous Cordilleras, especially in the northern part, and is 
mountainous, and well timbered by numerous forests. It has 
many fertile valleys. The most mountainous part is that 
occupied by the Sierras de Huejutla, de Huehuetla, and Alta 
de Zacualtipan, at the base of which, and extending to the 
south, is an extensive and beautiful, as well as fertile valley. 
Gigantic monoliths crown the summits of the Actopan moun- 
tains, overlooking the valley, which are termed " Los Or- 
ganos," or "the organs," a name given on account of the 
resemblance to large pipes of an organ. The name of " los 
Frailes " is also given to the same mountains. The whole 
valley is surrounded by a scenery that is pronounced to be 
one of the grandest of the whole country. The principal 
plains are those of Atotonilco el Grande, which is found be- 
tween the grand barranca and the Sierra de Pachuca, the 
plains of San Javier and Tizayuca, situated southwest of the 
same Sierra and the plain of Mezquital, which is diversified 
by extensive mountain ridges, isolated and mountainous hills, 
and occupies the districts of Ixmiquilpan, Actopan, and 
Huichapan. 

The city of Pachuca is the capital of the state, and has a 
population of fifteen thousand. The great raining company 
of Real del Monte, the largest of the republic, has its works 
located here. The city lies about fifty-seven miles northeast 
of the city of Mexico, in a gap of the mountains. The plains 
lying south of the city are under high cultivation. The city 
is reached from the city of Mexico and Vera Cruz by rail- 
way, recently completed. The state ranks as the third in its 
mineral productions. It has twenty mining districts, and in 
1878 had one hundred and four mines in activity, which pro- 

236 



237 

duced $4,739,656. The agricultural products reached 
$4,382,050, of which the amount of corn produced was 
$3,456,000. The assessed value of real estate was, in 1878, 
city and country, $15,311,600. 

CHAPTER n. 

Mineral Resources. 

The mining district of Real del Monte is one of the cele- 
brated mining districts of Mexico, and contains some very 
rich mines. 

The Rosario mine contains a vein seventy-five centimetres 
in thickness, which assayed one hundred marcs per monton; 
and although it has well paid its owners, its workings are 
now suspended mainly on account of foul air in the mine. 
In the Encarnacion one of the shafts has cut a vein that 
assays eighteen marcs, with the ore carrying copper besides 
silver. 

The Real del Monte Mining Company, originally an Eng- 
lish corporation, is now controlled principally by Mexican cap- 
italists. This company owns many mines in this district and 
the Pachuca mining district. The Dulce Nombre mine in 
this district was first located in 1820, and was recorded then. 
A shaft was sunk on a north and south lode, which at a 
depth of five hundred and fifty feet dipped to the east. The 
vein averaged ten feet, with firm hanging and foot-walls 
of porphyry. A very rich-paying streak in the vein averaged 
two feet six inches, but the ores were very refractory, and 
under the old system much of their value was lost. This 
mine has been relocated recently. 

The Bizcaina and Tapona veins run east and west. The 
former is the largest vein in the district. The Santa Inez 
and Santa Brigida veins run north and south, and the Moran 
system of veins crosses the others diagonally. All these 
veins crop boldly, and on them are located the many mines 
which have made this district historical. The water-level is 
twelve hundred feet from the surfiice, and the Real del ]\Ionte 
Company have dug a tunnel which discharges four thousand 
gallons of water per minute, and has its mouth in the village 
of Omiltan, four and one fourth miles from the Real del Monte, 
yet the lower levels are unwatered. The elevation at the 
Velasco Works is eight thousand two hundred feet, at Pa- 
chuca eight thousand two hundred and fifty feet, and at Real 



238 

del Monte ten thousand feet above the sea. The other princi- 
pal raining districts are Pachuca, Jacala, Zimapan, Cardonal y 
Bonanza, Pechuga, Tepenene, and Atotonilco el Chico. 

The San Miguel del Tajo mine is situated in the Pueblo 
of Azoyatla, municipality of Pachuca, in the Pachuca mining 
district. Its workings consist of a vertical shaft which meas- 
ures 73 varas in depth. The vein was reached in 40 varas 
from tlie mouth of the shaft, and the ore assays from 40 to 
50 marcs. The mine is said to contain very rich ore with a 
vein from 4 to 5 varas in thickness. Pachuca is the centre of 
one of the oreat minino^ districts of Mexico which has aiven 
to the state its great mining reputation. 

In the mining district of Pachuca the mines in 1881 which 
were being worked numbered "45, and 138 were idle. For 
the reduction of the metals the city of Pachuca has five ha- 
ciendas de beneficio. The Santa Gertrudis mine was reported 
to have reached a bonanza in 1878. A vein 2 metres in thick- 
ness which assayed as high as 50 marcs per monton of 30 
quintals or 3,000 lbs., was being worked. The San Jose 
de Gracia mine has a vein 9 varas in thickness, which assayed 
15 marcs per monton. The mine " La Luz " is located in 
the mining district of Zimapan, in the barranca of Toliman, 
two leagues from the town of Zimapan. Two veins have been 
discovered called " La Luz" and "La Pastora." At a depth 
of 105 metres ore was found that assayed from 12 ounces of 
silver to two marcs per carga. The Santissimo mine is lo- 
cated in the barrancafof Verdosas, four leagues from Zima- 
pan. Three veins were found in this mine which produced 
3 ounces of silver per carga, and 10 to 12 per cent. lead. 
Some samples produced 10 ounces of silver and 33 per cent, 
lead per carga. In the Mineral of Jacala a mountain called 
'' Cerro de las Maravillas " was discovered that contained veins 
of gold, silver, carbonate of lead, magnetic iron, oxide of 
manganese, and carbonates of copper. Many mines were 
worked upon these veins during the Spanish control. The 
principal mine was called El Carmen, in which a large body 
of ore was found containing oxide of manganese, and carbo- 
nate of lead and silver. The assay ran from 2 to 20 ounces 
of silver per carga, averaging mostly about 5 ounces. Placers 
of silver and platinum were found in this district, about 24 
leagues from Zimapan and 12 leagues in a direct line from 
Encarnacion. The mineral of El Chico is also a rich district. 
The minino^ district of San Nicolas del Oro is the rich gold- 
bearing district of the state. 



MOEELOS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Description, Cities and Towns, Agricultural and Mineral 

Resources. 

The state of Morelos is bounded on the north by the Federal 
District, and part of the State of Mexico ; east and southeast, 
by Puebla ; south, by Guerrero, and west by Mexico ; area, 
two hundred and sixty-two square leagues. The whole state 
is mountainous, with some few plains, valleys, and barrancas. 
The plains of Cuernavaca and the plain of Amilpas en Cuantla 
are the principal plains. The climate is tropical in the 
valleys, which are very fertile. Cuernavaca is the capital 
of the state, and has twelve thousand inhabitants. This city 
was founded in 1432, and contains the ancient palace of 
Hernando Cortez, the parochial church built in 1713, the 
Church of Guadalupe and of Las Tepetates, San Pedro, and 
San Pablo, the immense gardens of Borda in ruins, an hos- 
pital, a garden in its principal square, two Protestant churches, 
a literary institute, the Stage and San Pedro Hotel. This 
city was the favorite resort of Maximilian. The city of 
Cuantla de Morelos is the principal city in the district of 
Morelos and has three thousand inhabitants. It possesses 
a fine city hall, a public garden, a parochial church built in 
1605, and the churches of San Diego and Seiior del Pueblo. 
Yantepec of Zaragoza is the principal city of the district of 
Yantepec, and has a population of forty-five hundred. The city 
of Tetecala de la Reforma, in the same district, has twenty- 
five hundred inhabitants. The city of Jojutla de Juarez has 
forty-one hundred and seventy-five inhabitants. Sugar is 
manufactured to some extent in this state. Its principal 
productions are cofiee, sugar, fruits, corn, rice, alcohol, 
wheat, etc. One mine is being worked in the mining district 
of Oaxtepec, and five mines in the Huantla mining district. 
There are seven silver mines, one of quicksilver, one of 
alabaster, two of jasper, and four of marble, which are not 
worked at present. The amount of agricultural productions 
in 1878 were, corn, 89,232,800 kils., value $1,885,200; 
sugar, 26,400,000 kils., value, $2,750,000; total, 119,240,- 
000 kils., value, $4,838,825. 

239 



TLAXCALA. 



CHAPTER I. 

Physical Features, Cities and Towns, and Resources. 

The state of Tlaxcala is bounded on the north and north- 
west by Hidalgo ; and north and northeast, east and southeast, 
and south and southwest by Puebla ; and west by Mexico. 
The state is mountainous, but has many fine valleys, the 
principal one of which is the Huamantla valley. Part of the 
state is well irrigated by the Zahuapan and Atallac rivers ; 
area two hundred and fifty-three square leagues. The city of 
Tlaxcala is the capital of the state, and has thirty-six thousand 
four hundred and sixty-three inhabitants. The business of 
the city is confined to its woollen factories, traffic in grain 
and hides, and the importation of groceries and linens. The 
other important cities are Huamantla, Apizaco, Santa Ana 
Chautempan, and San Pablo. The productions of the state 
are corn, wheat, barley, oats, peas, lentils, and Chili pepper. 
Fruits of all the climates are produced in the varying altitudes 
of the state. The climate is on the whole pleasant and healthy. 
The mineral resources of the state embrace, as far as discovered, 
silver, lead, copper, and coal. The celebrated mountain called 
Malintzi, or Matlacuezatl, which is seen by tourists over the 
Mexican Eailway from Vera Cruz to Mexico city, will attract 
the eye by its shape and the beautiful scenery around it. 
The summit has a resemblance to the corpse of a woman lying 
wrapped in its shroud at full length. The immense plain 
right and left, behind and in front of this, as far as the eye 
can reach, is planted with maguey. The mountain rises out 
of the plain some 4107 metres in height, and at once attracts 
the attention of every visitor. The mountain occupies an 
important place in Mexican or Aztec mythology, and bears 
the name of one of the favorite gods of the Aztecs. The 
state in 1878 raised 75,828,100 kils. of corn, value $1,602,100 ; 
wheat, 22,265,600 kils., value $940,800; total amount of 
productions, 166,334,200 kils., value, $3,918,150. 

240 



PTJEBLA. 



CHAPTER I. 
Topography, Cities and Towns, Factories, and Resources. 

The state of Puebla is bounded on the east by Vera Cruz, 
southeast and south by Oaxaca, south and southwest by 
Guerrero, west by Morelos, Mexico, and Tlaxcala, and 
Hidalgo, and north by Tlaxcala and Vera Cruz. A wide 
chain of high mountains, cut at intervals by fertile valleys or 
plateaus, extend through the state. On the eastern bound- 
ary of the state are situated the Cofre de Perote and the 
peak of Orizaba ; on the west, the volcanoes of Popocatepetl 
and Ixtaccihuatl. The first is 5400 metres, and the second 
4786 metres above the sea. The climate is hot in the south- 
ern, temperate in the centre, and cold in the northern part 
of the state. 

The city of Puebla is the capital of the state, and is situated 
in a beautiful valley seven thousand feet or more above the 
sea. It is a city fair to see, and fair to see from. It has a 
population of 76,817 inhabitants, a famous college, and a 
curious museum, many factories of cotton, porcelain, and 
glass, foundries and flouring mills, and is the second city in 
point of wealth and importance in the republic. The city 
is well built, its streets are wide, its churches numerous, 
many of them grand and imposing. It has its plaza and 
alameda, and there is an air of brightness and order every- 
where. The principal churches are the cathedral, which is 
smaller than that of Mexico, but the interior is one of great 
magnificence ; the Campana or Jesuit's Church, and that of 
San Francisco. The cathedral occupies one side of the plaza, 
and, like that of Mexico, stands on an immense stone plat- 
form, raised four or five feet from the plaza. It is built of dark 
porphyritic stone, with massive buttresses and lofty towers. 
Within the effect is very imposing. Vast columns, ninety 
feet high, support a well-lighted and graceful roof. The 
altar is of polished pillars of marble, with each groove edged 
with gold-plate. Inside these columns is a mass of polished, 
green, and almost translucent marble, and above and around 
it hang all manner of images. The chapel in the rear of the 
high altar is a mass of gilded and graven images, as are all 
the chapels in the chief churches in all the cities. Every 

241 



242 

crevice of the large chapel is covered with carved wood, 
tossed up into airy forms like the filigree work of a gold 
setting. Its chapter-room is hung with tapestries worked by 
the ladies of the court of one of the Spanish kings, who pre- 
sented them to the cathedral. In the sacristy are some fine 
old paintings ; the lavatory for the priests, with its beautiful 
marble, is finer than that in the cathedral of Mexico. 

The city lies four square. Its streets are paved in broad 
blocks, which look as if washed daily, so lustrously do they 
shine in the rays of the sun. Most of the streets are raised 
at the crossings on each side of a narrow channel that runs 
through their centre under a single broad, flat stone, which 
channel lets the torrents in the rainy season flow to the river 
without disturbance of travel. The straight streets terminate 
in green groves or brown hills, which gives a very pleasant 
effect to the vista that opens to you whichever way you gaze. 
The branch of the Mexican Eailway reaches this city, con- 
necting at Apizaco on the Vera Cruz and Mexican Railway. 
Much trade has been opened with the United States by some 
of the most wealthy merchants. A railroad connects this 
city with that of Mexico and the port of Vera Cruz. It has 
five hospitals, two public libraries, containing over 50,000 
volumes, several cotton and woollen factories — no less than 
nineteen in the state — three paper factories, and five iron 
foundries. The state has one college, a medical and pharma- 
ceutical school, a normal school, an academy, and a school 
of art. The state is rich in the remains of Mexican antiquities. 
The fortifications of Tlaxcallan, and the celebrated pyramids 
of Cholula are worthy of a visit. The pyramid of Cholula is 
similar to the Egyptian pyramids. 

The state of Puebla produced in 1878 the sum of $12,522,- 
485 in agricultural products, of which the amount of wheat 
raised was 23,075,000 kils., valued at $1,300,000; sugar, 
5,250,000 kils., value $656,250; corn, which is one of the 
staple products, 400,093,520 kils., value, $8,452,680. The 
mining interests of this state are as yet but little developed. 
A superior quality of stone coal has been discovered in the 
department of San Juan de Los Llanos, besides many veins 
of silver and copper-bearing ore. Petroleum has been found 
in large quantities in no less than ten different localities. 
Immense quarries of marble have been discovered that are 
already one of the wonders of Mexico. Value of real estate, 
— city, $14,380,690; country, $15,458,774; total, $29,- 
839,464. 



OAXACA. 



CHAPTER I. 
Physical Features, Cities and Towns, and Resources. 

The state of Oaxaca is bounded on the north by Puebla 
and Vera Cruz, and northeast by Yera Cruz, and east by 
Chiapas, south by the Pacific Ocean, and west by Guerrero. 
The whole state is mountainous, and traversed by canons, 
barrancas, and narrow valleys ; the climate varies with the 
altitude, but is on the whole mild, and varies from the semi- 
tropical to the temperate ; all kinds of stock are raised ; 
game and fish are abundant, and pearls are found in the 
fisheries of the coast. The city of Oaxaca is the capital of 
the state, has twenty-six thousand seven hundred and eight 
inhabitants, and is located in a beautiful valley. Its streets 
are laid ofi* at right angles. On the main square are located 
the government palace and the cathedral. The latter is 
much praised on account of its style of architecture. The 
other principal towns are Teotitlan, Huahuapan, Ejutla, 
Jamiltepec, Tepozcala, and Villa Alta. The principal ports 
are Puerto Angel and La Ventosa, Chacahua, and Huatulco. 

This is one of the principal states of the republic, and has 
four thousand nine hundred and fifty-three square leagues. 
It has 233 sugar factories, 29 brandy distilleries, 368 brown 
sugar factories, 400 flour mills, 17 tobacco factories, 2QQ 
soap factories, 476 mezcal factories, 5 iron foundries, 200 
earthenware factories, and 3 cotton and woollen factories. 
The public institute of the state has 34 professors, and de- 
partments of jurisprudence, medicine, pharmacy, commercial 
school, etc. The Seminario Tridentino has 8 professors. 
The state has 167 schools and colleges, including the State 
Institute, Seminario Tridentino, and Catholic College. It 
has also a public library containing 13,479 volumes, and two 
hospitals. 

The state of Oaxaca has large forests of valuable timber, 
including dye woods and all the fine cabinet woods, besides 
pines, oaks, and other timber for construction. In the list 

243 



244 

of agricultural productions are found, beside the products of 
the India-rubber tree and vegetable dyes, Chili, or red and 
green peppers, bananas, oranges, lemons, and all the small 
tropical fruits, corn, wheat, barley, and the fruits of the 
temperate zones. The soil is rich and produces marvellously. 
The amount of corn raised in 1878 was 416,662,080 kils., 
value $8,802,720; wheat, 7,693,908 kils., value $541,820; 
total amount of agricultural productions, 446,940,878 kils., 
value $10,469,530. Sugar cane is raised so largely that the 
common brown sugar sells for one cent per pound. Cochineal 
at one period was the chief product of this state, reaching the 
aggregate value of $2,500,000 per annum. This state has 
deposits of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and quicksilver, 
as yet not developed to any considerable extent owing to the 
lack of capital and the improved mechanical appliances ; yet 
in 1880 no less than one hundred and thirty-eight mines were 
worked and thirty-two reduction works were running. 
Petroleum is also another element of wealth of this state, 
having been discovered in two localities. This state has an 
abundant rainfall, and has a greater number of constantly 
flowing water-courses suitable for irrigation and for motive 
power than is found in other states, which, with railroad 
facilities, added to the many advantages it already possesses, 
will place this state among the most important of the re- 
public. Value of real estate — city and- country, $8,630,589. 



CHIAPAS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Physical Features, Cities and Towns, and Resources. 

The state- of Chiapas is bounded on the north by Tabasco ; 
east by Tabasco and the Eepublic of Guatemala ; northwest 
by Tabasco, Vera Cruz, and Oaxaca; south by the Gulf of 
Tehuantepec ; area 2,474 square leagues. The Sierra Madre 
mountains, in three chains almost parallel, traverse the state 
from east to west. Between the mountain ranges, extensive 
plains are found, and lowlands on the coast. The climate is 
hot on the coast and generally temperate in the rest of the 
state. There is no part of the state in which they do not 
cultivate all kinds of cereals. The state is well timbered, 
but its magnificent forests of valuable wood are being de- 
stroyed ; cattle-raising and the cultivation of all cereals are 
the great industries of the state. The city of San Cristobal 
las Casas is the capital of the state, and has 10,205 inhabit- 
ants. Comitan with 6,286, Tuxtla with 6,963, Chiapa with 
4,324, Tonala with 6,707, Ococingo with 4,019, Palenque 
with 2,554, Simojovel with 2,548, Pichucalco with 5,264, 
and San Bartolome with 4,591 inhabitants, are the other 
principal cities. San Benito in the department of Soconusco, 
and Tonala in the department of the same name, are the prin- 
cipal ports. The department of the centre produces flour 
enough to supply the whole state, and largely exports to the 
neighboring state of Tabasco. One of the richest industries 
in this department is the manufacture and export of linseed 
oil. The department of Simojovel is the chief source of the 
tobacco supply of the country. It is in very large demand 
throughout this state, and also in Oaxaca, to whose factories 
large quantities are shipped. The department of Chilon 
raises large quantities of sugar-cane and furnishes most of the 
supply of the state. The department of Liberatad possesses 
several large saline streams from which salt is evaporated. 
Cotton is grown extensively in the same department. Ir the 

245 



246 

department of Palenque sugar-cane is raised, and mahogany 
and cedar logs are delivered at tide-water. The departments 
of Tuxtla, Gutiellez, Chiapa de Corzo, and Tonala are 
specially devoted to the cultivation of the Jiquilite plant, 
from which an excellent aniline dye is manufactured and 
largely exported. The department of Pichucalco is largely 
devoted to growing cocoa, which is exported in large quanti- 
ties to the various interior states, and also to foreign markets. 
Sbconusco is specially noted for its excellent coffee. Lead, 
iron, sulphur, and talc have been found in this state. The 
amount of agricultural productions in 1878 were, — corn, 
42,950,000 kils., value $796,000; sugar 335,600 kils., 
value $42,000; total 45,882,570 kils., value $1,045,500. 



TABASCO. 



CHAPTER I. 



Physical Features, Agricultural Resources, Cities and 

Towns. 

The State of Tabasco is bounded on the north and north- 
west by the Gulf of Mexico, west and southwest by Vera 
Cruz and Chiapas, northeast and north by Campeche, and 
east by the republic of Guatemala and Campeche, and south 
by Guatemala and Chiapas. The surface of the state is occu- 
pied by a vast plain lying along the coast with a few eleva- 
tions ; area, 1876 square leagues. The principal streams are 
the Usumacinta, Mescalapa or Grijalva, Istacomitan, Taco- 
talpa, Puscatan, Teapa, and a few smaller streams. This 
state is better supplied with water than any other of the repub- 
lic, and is covered with a luxuriant tropical vegetation. The 
climate is hot and unhealthy. The state is divided into 12 
partidos, and has 16 municipalities, 2 cities, 11 towns, 59 
pueblos or Indian settlements, 67 haciendos, and 118 ranchos. 
The productions of the state are cocoa, sugar-cane, coffee, 
tobacco, cotton, corn, vanilla, yucca, sarsaparilla, pimienta, 
amber, hule,tolu, achicote, aiiil, fine woods, etc., and a large 
number of balsams and medicinal herbs, as well as a great 
variety of fruits of the tropical climate. The agricultural 



247 

productions in 1878 were, corn, 53,062,560 kils., value 
$1,121,040; cocoa, 1,056,000 kils., value $880,000 ; coffee, 
176,400 kils., value $58,800. The city of San Juan Bautista 
is the capital of the state, and is situated on the banks of the 
Grijalva river. It has 8,000 inhabitants. The principal port 
is Frontera. The other principal towns are Cardenas, Comal- 
calco, Teapa, etc. 



CAMPECHE. 



CHAPTER I. 
General Description, Cities and Towns, and Resources. 

The state of Campeche is bounded on the north and north- 
east and east by Yucatan and Belize, south by Guatemala 
and Tabasco, on the southeast by Tabasco, and northwest by 
the Gulf of Mexico ; area 3801 square leagues. The northern 
part of the state is occupied by hills, which gradually rise 
from the coast. The city of Campeche is the capital of the 
state, and has 26,000 population. It is an old fortified Span- 
ish town, situated in a fertile valley adjoining the gulf. It 
has a fine theatre and several institutions. For many years 
it was the only port of Yucatan, and was sacked frequently 
by filibusters. The land is gradually invading the bay, so 
much so that only boats of light drafts can navigate into the 
port. The principal productions are sugar, brandy, hene- 
quen, tobacco, carey, shells, sponges, dye-woods, fine cabi- 
net woods and timber, corn, etc. Amount of agricultural 
productions in 1878, 4,303,360 kils., value $173,880. Value 
of real estate is $2,746,591. El Carmen, the capital of the 
partido of the same name, is situated on an island of the 
same name in the Lagua de Terminos. It is a port of some 
importance for the exportation of fine wood and dye-woods. 
The climate is hot and unhealthy. 



YUCATAN. 



CHAPTER I. 
Topography, Cities and Towns, and Resources. 

The state of Yucatan is the extreme eastern limit of the 
republic, and forms part of an immense peninsula, its own 
territory of which, is bathed by the Gulf of Mexico on the 
northern and northwestern, and the Carribean Sea on the 
eastern part of the state. On the south it is bounded by 
Guatemala, on the west by Campeche. The state is tra- 
versed by the Sierra Alta in a northeast and southwest direc- 
tion. The surface gradually rises from the coast into foothills, 
and merges into the afore-mentioned Cordillera. The climate 
is extremely hot on the coast and throughout the whole 
peninsula. The city of Merida is the capital, and has 56,000 
inhabitants. It was founded by Francisco de Montejo in 
January, 1542. Its principal buildings consist of a govern- 
ment palace, hall of justice, city hall, hospital, a theatre, a 
literary institute, conservatory of music and oratory, college 
of jurisprudence, school of medicine and pharmacy, and a 
normal school. It has also a public library, museum of 
antiquities, a cathedral, four parochial churches, and nine 
other churches. Progresso has 1900 ; Matul de Zepeda 
Paraza, 2900, and Valladolid has 3000 inhabitants. The 
latter city was founded by Francisco de Montejo in 1543, 
and removed to its present site in 1544. The city of Zical 
has 6000 inhabitants. The city of Ixamal has 4797 inhab- 
itants. The state has 7 cities, 13 towns, 152 villages, 1133 
haciendas, 363 ranchos, and 831 farms. This state (as well 
as Chiapas at Palenque) has some very interesting ruins that 
will well repay a visit. The state produces corn, rice, fruits, 
anil, tobacco, coffee, cotton, vanilla, gums, and dye-woods, 
sugar, henequen, logwood, etc. The productions in 1878 
were, — corn, 164,952,850 kils., value, $4,446,560; hene- 
quen, 29,040,000 kils., value, $2,420,000; total, 202,381,760 
kils., value, $7,489,075. 



248 



THE FEDERAL DISTRICT. 



CHAPTER I. 

Topography, Cities and Towns, and Resources. 

The Federal District of the Mexican Republic occupies an 
extensive plain called the Valley of Mexico, which measures 
45 miles in length and 31 miles in width. The district is 
bounded on the north, east, and west by the state of Mexico, 
and south by Morelos ; area 50 square leagues. It is divided 
into the prefectures of Xochimilco, Tlalpam, Tacubaya, and 
Guadalupe Hidalgo. The principal cities are the city of 
Mexico, the capital of the republic and of the Federal District. 
The other principal towns are Guadalupe Hidalgo, Tacubaya, 
Xochimilco Tlalpam, San Angel, Mixcoac, Coyoacan, Atz- 
capotzalco, Tacuba, Santa Fe, Milpa Alta, Actopan, and 
Tlahuac, etc. The climate of the district in general is 
moderately cool and agreeable. The district in general is 
fertile, especially in the southern part, where the rich haciendas 
of San Antonio and Coapan are situated. The Valley of 
Mexico is diversified by many isolated hills — the Sierra de 
Guadalupe, and the Ixtapalapa or Estrella hill, the Sierra 
de Ajusco, and the cerro or hill of Chapultepec. The streams 
coursing through the district are those of Tlalpam, San Angel, 
Guadalupe, Consulado, and Tacubaya. The lakes of Tetzcoco, 
Chalco, Xochimilco, and Zumpango, receive the waters of 
the afore-mentioned streams, and of the whole valley. In 
1878 the following were produced in the district: Corn, 
12,254,600 kils., value, $215,750; wheat, 2,392,700 kils., 
value, $101,100; straw, 1,215,520 kils., value, $19,300; 
fodder, 3,055,200 kils., value, $38,190; alfalfa, 8,400,000 
kils., value, $28,000; total amount of productions, 30,380,- 
750 kils., value, $591,906, and 89,440 maguey plants pro- 
duced $44,720. 

CHAPTER II. 

The City of Mexico. 

The city of Mexico, the capital of the republic, is situated 
in the middle of the valley of Mexico, 19° 36' 26" north 
latitude, and 99° 6' 39" longitude west of Greenwich, and 

249 



250 

contains about 280,000 inhabitants. Its altitude above the 
sea is 2282.5 metres. Its climate is temperate, never being 
over 70° nor under 50° Fahrenheit. The barometer stands 
at 22i inches, and water at boiling-point marks 190°. The 
longest day is 13 hours and 10 minutes, and the shortest 10 
hours and 50 minutes. The city is beautifully located. 
Beyond its white buildings, quaint and massive architecture, 
extends the rich and fertile plain, with its fields of grain, and 
maguey plantations, arbors and orchards, until the eye rests 
upon the distant volcanoes — Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. 
The lakes, sleeping near the city, glitter in the sun like 
burnished silver, or, shaded by the vapors which often rise 
from them, lie cool and tranquil on the plain. Here is a 
scene long to be remembered by the traveller and tourist who 
has been permitted to rest his eyes upon the capital city of 
the Montezumas ; a city the origin of which is hidden beneath 
old and almost immemorial Aztec legends ; a city that was 
once the metropolis of a continent and the centre of a for- 
gotten American civilization, which to-day from its former 
isolation of prehistoric splendor greets and welcomes all that 
modern civilization can add to its own accumulations through 
an unknown period of time. 

The streets are at right angles, running north and south 
and east and west. Their names change at every block. At 
the extremity of each line of streets the mountains which sur- 
round the valley are plainly seen. The city stands on part 
of the old bed of the lake of Tetzcoco, out of which it sprung, 
but the borders of which are embanked at a certain distance 
from the capital. The six lakes cover fifty square miles of 
the valley. During the rainy season, in June, July, August, 
and September, in which the rain falls mostly in the after- 
noon or night, the streets are flooded for several hours on 
account of the current through the sewerage being insufficient. 
The valley should be drained, the sewerage of the city being 
almost on a level with the body of water from the lakes 
which lie beneath the city. Fruits and floAvers grow in pro- 
fusion, but the European fruits have not the savor of their 
original country ; neither have the flowers the vivid colors or 
odor which they possess in lower regions. Although the 
altitude gives the city a climate that is between a temperate 
and semi-tropical, it is rarely cold or excessively warm, and 
will make the city a popular winter resort, the only reminder 
of the colder climates being the perpetual snows upon the 
mountain peaks. The commerce and industries of the 



251 

republic are mostly carried on by foreigners, Mexican capital 
being invested in real estate, mines, and agriculture. From 
10 A.M. to 10 P.M. the fares for carriage-hire are 25 cents per 
half-hour or less, and 50 cents per hour or over a half-hour, 
and from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the fares are doubled. The 
republic contains three archbishoprics and fourteen Roman 
Catholic apostolic bishoprics. The cathedral, so celebrated, 
is situated on the Plaza Mayor, and was erected on the 
very spot where Cortez found and destroyed the Aztec 
teocalli or temple, which was dedicated to the Mexican 
god Huitzilapoctli. The first cathedral was built in 1530, 
but was replaced by the present cathedral, which was com- 
menced in 1573 and finished in 1667. It cost $1,762,000. 
This building is the most prominent of the city, and is the 
most elaborate of all the cathedrals of the republic. There 
are nineteen other Roman Catholic churches and one Protest- 
ant Episcopal, and four Methodist Episcopal churches. The 
other principal buildings are the national palace, the palace 
of congress, palace of justice, the municipal palace, and post- 
office. Chapultepec, the ancient palace of Montezuma, since 
the residence of the presidents, and afterwards a military 
college, is now the National Astronomical Observatory, and 
is situated but a short drive from the city, and at the ex- 
tremity of the Calzada de la Reforma. There are four 
principal theatres and several smaller places of amusement. 
There are also the Academy of St. Charles, or fine art school, 
a mining school, colleges of jurisprudence, of medicine, a 
military college (at Tacubaya), college for young ladies or 
seminary, a school of agriculture, conservatory of music and 
oratory, school of commerce, school for deaf and dumb, and 
seminary school, the Mexican society of geography and 
statistics, architects' society and industrial arts, national 
museum, several clubs, an archiepiscopal palace, the mint, 
custom-house, houses of correction and a general prison, 
hospitals of infants, a general hospital of St. Andrew, hos- 
pital for insane women, and another for men, and others, and 
an asylum for the blind. There are several hotels and 
restaurants, and public drives and walks. The Alameda 
contains 70 fountains, 30 avenues, and 34 gardens. The 
Mexican Central Railway's handsome buildings are located in 
the northwestern part of the city. 



Railroads. 



The principal railways of the republic are the Mexican 
Eailway or Vera Cruz Eoad, the Mexican Central, Mexican 
National, Sonora Eailway, Sinaloa, and Durango, and the 
Tehuantepec Road. The Mexican Eailway opened its con- 
tinuous line from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico in 1873. 
It has a branch also to Puebla, and operates in all 365 miles. 
The directors' report for 1881 shows an annual average earn- 
ing for the eight years of $1,310,882, or $4,473 per mile, 
net. Tliis is six per cent, on $74,000 per mile, a moderate 
estimate of what it should have cost. The actual cost of the 
line has been officially announced as $36,319,526.52, or over 
$123,000 per mile. 

The Mexican Central is destined to be the great trunk line 
of the republic, and will, when finished, bring the city of the 
Moctezumas nearer by rail than San Francisco is to New 
York. The company's main line extends from the city of 
Mexico, northerly, to El Paso, Texas, where it connects with 
the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe, the Southern Pacific, 
and the Texas and Pacific railroads. There are two principal 
branches, one running westerly through Guadalajara and 
Tepic to San Bias and the Pacific Ocean, and one running 
easterly through the city of San Luis Potosi to Tampico, on 
the Gulf of Mexico. The distance from the city of Mexico 
to El Paso, by the best route, is 1,231 miles ; from the main 
line to the Gulf, 318 miles ; and from the main line to the 
Pacific, 430 miles. 

The company began construction in the summer of 1880, 
and the track is now completed 350 miles north from the city 
of Mexico, and in operation to Lagos, a distance of 295 miles, 
passing within 12 miles of the city of Guanajuato, and con- 
necting with it by a spur track, which is also completed and 
in full operation. The company is also constructing from the 
northern end of the main line, and the track is completed 382 
miles south from El Paso, and is in full operation to the city 
of Chihuahua, a distance of 225 miles. Eapid progress is 
also being made from Tampico, westerly, towards the main 
line, 62 miles of track, beginning at Tampico, having already 
been completed, and recently work has also been commenced 
at San Bias. The line from the city of Mexico was opened 
for business to Tula, 58 miles, Sept. 15, 1881 ; to San Juan 

252 



253 

del Rio, 118 miles, Dec. 15 ; to Quer^taro, 153 miles, Feb. 
15, 1882; to Celaya, 1821 miles, April 15; to Irapuato, 
219 miles. May 1 ; to Leon, 258 miles, Aug. 1 ; to Lagos, 
295 miles, Dec. 15, 1882 ; and from El Paso to the city of 
Chihuahua, 225 miles, Sept. 15, 1882. 

The road will connect the capital of Mexico with the eight 
largest state capitals, viz : Aguas Calientes, Chihuahua, Du- 
rango, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Qudrataro, San Luis Potosi, 
and Zacatecas, the aggregate population of which has been 
estimated at 608,767. The lines follow pretty closely the 
great highways upon which have grown up cities and towns, 
and pass through many of great size and importance, in addi- 
tion to the capitals already named, such as Tula, San Juan 
del Rio, Celaya, Salamanca, Irapuato, Silao, Leon, Lagos, 
Fresnillo, Las Nuevas, Jimenez or Huajuquila, Santa Rosalia, 
La Barca, Ocotlan, Tequila, Ahualulco, Etzatlan, Tepic, 
Tampico, San Bias, and El Paso. The total population of 
the states through which the lines pass is estimated at 5,673,- 
531, and the agricultural products, exclusive of cattle, for the 
year 1879, according to official figures recently published, 
were in weight 3,842,982 tons, and in value $89,100,976. 

This great enterprise was originated and has been carried 
on mainly by Boston brains and capital, but Chicago has been 
an important factor, and strong support has also been given 
by Cincinnati, New York, and Philadelphia. Mr. Thomas 
Nickerson, of Boston, under whose management the Atchi- 
son, Topeka, and Santa Fe roads were built and made suc- 
cessful, is president of the company ; vice-president, Robert 
R. Symon, New York ; second vice-president, Levi C. Wade, 
Boston ; official attorneys, R. G. Guzman and Sebastian Cam- 
acho, Mexico ; treasurer and clerk, S. W. Reynolds, Boston ; 
assistant clerk, M. de Zamacona e Yuclan, Mexico ; auditor, 
J. N. Goodspeed, Boston ; general manager, Rudolph Fink, 
Mexico ; general superintendent, D. B. Robinson, El Paso ; 
supt. Tampico division, E. H. Whorf ; supt. Pacific division, 
Charles E. Payne. 

The Mexican National Railway is built in pursuance of a 
decree of the Mexican Congress, known as the "Palmer- 
Sullivan concession," which contracted for the construction of 
a railway and telegraph lines from Mexico City to the Pacific 
Ocean at the port of Manzanillo, or between that port and 
Natividad, passing through Toluca, Maravatio, Acambaro, 
Morelia, Zamora, La Piedad, and thence to the Pacific, follow- 
ing the line most favorable ; also a line and telegraph from 



254 

Mexico to the northern frontier, this line taking its departure 
from that to the Pacific at a point between Maravatio and 
Morelia, and passing through the cities of San Luis Potosi, 
Saltillo, and Monterey, arriving at the northern frontier at 
Laredo, or between that point and Eagle Pass. The other 
lines, since added by additional concessions, are to extend 
from Matamoras to Monterey, via Mier, and from Zacatecas 
to San Luis Potosi, and from Zacatecas to Lagos, making in 
all a system of over 2000 miles. The work of actual con- 
struction began in the fall of 1880, and the road is now in 
operation from Laredo (where it connects with the Texas 
Mexican Railway) to Monterey, making the run in 10 hours 
and a half. The Sonora Railway runs from Guaymas on the 
Gulf of California, via Hermosillo, Magdalena, and San 
Ignacio, to Nogales on the Mexican frontier of the state of 
Sonora, where it connects with the New Mexico and Arizona 
Railroad. The latter connects with the Southern Pacific at 
Benson, Arizona. The distance from Benson to Guaymas is 
352 miles ; from Nogales to Guaymas, 264 miles. The road 
runs through a part of the richest and most fertile portion of 
Sonora. Along its route are found numerous wealthy estates 
and old Spanish settlements, and many rich mines. The 
Sinaloa and Durango Railroad concession was granted Mr. 
Robt. R. Symon and associates for the construction of a rail- 
way from the port of Altata on the coast of Sinaloa to the 
city of Durango, via Culiacan and Cosala, and also a branch 
to run down the coast from Culiacan to Mazatlan. The road 
is now completed from the port of Altata to Culiacan. The 
Tehuantepec Railway concession was granted to Mr. Edward 
Learned and associates for the construction of a railway 
across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Part of the road only 
was completed, and the concession was then declared forfeited 
and turned over to the Mexican government. • Many other 
concessions have been granted, some of which are being 
carried out, but the above roads are the principal ones of the 
republic. 

Mexican Tariff and Trade Regulations. 

The Mexican tariff by its excessive rates, and the govern- 
mental regulations controlling foreign intercourse and trade, 
have long been a source of annoyance to foreign merchants, 
and the primary cause of official delinquencies. The high 
rates have not alone been the cause of smuffs^ling, but the 
peculiar intricacy of the custom house regulations, which 



255 

have caused the confiscation of goods of well-meaning mer- 
chants, has also added to the temptation to evade the revenue 
officers and thus defraud the Mexican government. Indepen- 
dent of the annoyances attending a new trade, it will repay our 
merchants to examine carefully the following facts in connection 
with the list of goods mostly exported from the United States 
to Mexico. The duties thereon are calculated by the French 
standard of weights and measures. A metre is 39 inches, a 
kilogram is 2i pounds. The figures enclosed in parentheses 
is an additional charge per 100 kilograms, gross weight, im- 
posed by the law of June 25, 1881. 
Wine, white, of all kinds, in bottles or demijohns, with- 
out allowing breakage, kil. net wt. (50 cts.) $ .29 

Wine, white, of all kinds, in wooden vessels, without 

allowing leakage, kil. net wt. (50 cts.) 19| 

Wine, claret, all kinds, in bottles or demijohns, without 

allowing breakage, kil. net wt. (50 cts.) 18^ 

Wine, claret, all kinds, in wooden vessels, without allow- 
ing leakage, kil. net wt. (50 cts.) Ill 

Wines, medicinal, all substances, and authors, kil. net 

wt. (50 cts.).-. 1-^0 

Liquors in bottles or jars, without allowing breakage, 
kil. gross wt., .23 and .08 additional net, (50 cts.) 
Acids, of all kinds, either gaseous or liquid, kil. net wt. 

including inside packing, (50 cts.). _ .25 

Acids, powdered or in glass vessels, kil. net wt., includ- 
ing inside packing, (50 cts.) -. 1-00 

Billiard tables of any material, not including cloth, upon 
appraisement, 55 per cent. 

Billiard balls, kil. gross wt. (50 cts.) 3.72 

Billiard sticks and caps, kil. gross wt. (50 cts.) 43 

Books, bound in velvet, shell, tortoise, ivory or metal, 

kil. gross wt. (50 cts.) -- 1-1^ 

Blankets, cotton, plain or stamped, square metre, (50 cts.) .48 
Blankets, wool, not stamped or figured, square metre, 

(50 cts.) -.--- -9^ 

Blankets, cotton and wool mixed in average proportion, 

plain or stamped, square metre, (75 cts.) .... .72 

Brushes, scrubbing, shoe blacking and horse cleaning, 

gross wt. (50 cts.) -1^ 

Brushes for table, clothing, hair, teeth, nails and hats, 
set on wood, bone, horn, or gutta percha, gross wt. 

(50 cts.) ---- -29 

Same, set on ivory, shell, tortoise, or gilded or silver 

plated metal, gross wt. ($1.00) - - - - -86 



256 

Bags and sacks, ready-made, common, of any material, 

upon appraisement, 55 per cent. (50 cts.) 

Clocks, fine, not go)^ or silver, gross wt. ($1.00) _ .86 

Clocks, common, with or without wooden box, gross wt. 

(75cts.) _ 29 

Coffee, net wt. (75 cts.) 10 

Cloves and spices, net wt. (50 cts.) __ .60 

Cotton, ginned, gross wt, (50 cts.) .07 

Cotton, seed, gross wt. (75 cts.) _ .02 

Curry-combs and iron combs, gross wt. (50 cts.) 19 

Codfish, dried or smoked, and any other fish prepared 

in the same manner, net wt. (75 cts.) 10 

Combs, Chinese cane, all kinds, gross wt. ($1.00) .23 

Combs, ladies' varnished iron, horn, gutta-percha, bone, 

or wood, with or without common metal, gross wt. 

(50 cts.) 29 

Cloth, all kinds and colors, with woolen base and woof, 

plain, figured or striped, sq. metre (75 cts.) 1.56 

Cotton goods, common white and colored, sq. metre 

($1.00) _ _ 09 

Cotton goods, white and colored, not embroidered or 

perforated, sq. metre (50 cts.) 16 

Cotton goods, plain, brown, unbleached, sq. metre (50 

cts.) 09tVi> 

Cotton goods, bleached or unbleached, serged or twilled, 

sq. metre (50 cts.) _ _ 16 

Cotton goods or textures, white or colored, embroidered 

or perforated, sq. metre ($1.00) _ .19 

Thread, per doz. ($1.00) _ ._. .20 

Cassimeres and similar woolen goods, sq. metre ($1.00) .80 

Carriages, open, and coupes, each (50 cts.) 176.00 

Coaches, phaetons, landaus, each (50 cts.)__ 396.00 

Buggies, each (50 cts.) _ _ 132.00 

Sulkies, each (50 cts.). _ 33.00 

Wagons, each (50 cts.) 66.00 

Harness for carriages, fine, kil., gross wt. (75 cts.) 2.00 

Harness for wagons, ordinary, kil., gross wt. (75 cts.)_. .86 

Turniture, 55 per cent, ad valorem (50 cts.) 

Pianos, kil., gross wt. (75 cts.) _. __ 43 

Drugs, medicines, natural and chemical products, and 

vessels and commodities used therefor not speci- 
fied in tariff, 88 per cent, ad valorem ($1.00) 

Earthenware and porcelain, except those specified, and 

toys, gross wt., without allowing breakage (50 cts.) .14 
Same, ornamented with white or yellow metal (75 cts.) .29 



257 

Plour, kil. net. wt., (50c) 10 

Wheat, kil., net wt., (50c). 04 

Barley, kil, net wt., (50c).. 03 

Rice, kil., net wt., (50c). 07 

Hops, kil., net wt., (50c) 18 

Hams, smoked, net wt., (50c). 25 

Meats, salt and smoked, net wt, (50c) 2-4 

Lard, kil., net wt., (50c) 18 

Butter, ki]., net wt., (50c) 24 

Cheese, kil., net wt., (50c) 14 

Candles, tallow, gross wt., (50c) 08 

Candles, stearine, gross wt., (50c) 19 

Candles, parafine, gross wt., (50c) 38 

Crackers, gross wt., (50c) 12 

Canned fruit, cans included, net wt., (50c) 50 

Canned meats and fish, cans included, netwt, (50c).. 72 

Pickles, jars included, kil., net wt., (50c) 48 

Soap, toilet, kil., gross wt., (75c) 1 15 

Soap, common, kil., gross wt., (50c) 15 

Glass, common, kil., gross wt., (50c) 24 

Gun powder, kil., goss wt., (75c) 2 00 

Nails of all kinds, iron, kil., gross wt, (50c) 12 

Tools, iron, steel and wood, kil., gross wt., (50c) 19 

Clothing, ready-made, all kinds, per suit, ($1) 182 
per cent. 

India rubber clothing, kil., gross wt. (75c) 1 43 

India rubber shoes, etc., kil., gross wt., (50c) 43 

India rubber cloth, for tables, kil., gross wt., (50c).. 29 

Oil cloth, for floors kil., gross wt, (50c) 29 

Leather, boots, yellow, dozen, (^1) 16 50 

Leather boots, calf or morocco, dozen, ($1) 27 00 

Leather shoes, common, men's, dozen, ($1) 7 00 

Leather shoes, fine, men's, dozen, ($1) 16 50 

Leather shoes, women's dozen, ($1) 10 00 

Leather shoes, women's common, dozen, (75c) 5 50 

Carpets, two and three-ply, sq. metre, ($1) 80 

Carpets, Brussels, sq. metre, ($1) 97 

Carpets, velvet, sq. metre, ($1) 1 40 

Cocoa matting, kil., gross wt., (50c) 16 

Yinegar, barrels, kil., net wt., (50) 05 

Yinegar, bottles, kil., net wt, (50c) 10 

Whisky, barrels, kil., net wt, (50c) 37J 

Whisky, bottles, net wt, (50c)... 46 

Beer, barrels, kil.. net wt, (50c) 10| 

Beer, bottles, kil., netwt, (50c) 21 



258 

Petroleum, cans included, kil., net wt, (50c) 09 

Resin, kil., gross wt., (50c) 25 

Tar, kil., gross wt., (50c) 03 

Salt, kil., gross wt., (50c( 05 

Potatoes, kil., gross wt., (50c) 02 

Onions, kil., gross wt., (50c) 02 

Free List. 

Articles exempt from import duties at the Maritime and Frontier 
Custom houses of Mexico^ as revised in accordance with 
the law of 1st of June 1880, and also with the law of June 
25th, 1881. 

Art. 16. — The following articles are exempt from duties 
on their importation into the Republic, except in amounts 
as follows: 

Gross Weight 
per 100 kils. 

1. — Armament for the States, provided that the ex- 
emption be solicited from the Executive of 
the Union, by the Governors, with the consent 

of their respective Legislatures 

2. — Telegraph wire, the destination of which must 
be accredited at the Maritime Custom houses, 

by the respective parties interested 

3. — Wire, of iron or steel for carding from No 26 

upwards 50 

4. — Alabaster in the rough 50 

5. — Animals of all kinds, alive or stuffed for cabinets 
of Natural History — with the exception of 

gelded horses 50 

6. — Ploughs and ploughshares 50 

7. — Masts and anchors for large or small vessels 50 

8. — Oats, in grain or in the straw 50 

9. — Quicksilver 50 

10.— Sulphur 50 

11. — Steel crowbars for mines, cylindrical or octagon, 
from 4 to 6 centimeters in diameter and from 

75 to 175 centimetres in length... 50 

12. — Fire engines and common pumps of all classes, 

and materials for irrigation and other purposes. 50 
13. — ^Hoes, "machetes" [common chopping knives 
for sugar cane] without sheaths, scythes, sick- 
les, rakes, harrows, spades, shovels, picks and 
pickaxes for agricultural purpose 75 



259 

Oross Weight 
per 100 kils. 

14. — Hydraulic lime 50 

15. — Tubing of all classes, materials and dimensions, 
without considering as comprised in this exemp- 
tion, copper tubes or those of other metals that 
do not come soldered or closed with joints or 
rivets in their whole length, which shall be 
subject to the payment of duties, acording to 

the material 50 

16. — Cardclothing of wire, in sheets for machinery 

and sheep cards 50 

17' — Wheelbarrows, hand, of one and two wheels, 

and hods 50 

18. — Crucibles of all materials and sizes 50 

19. — "Railway cars, coaches and wagons 

20.— CoalofalUduds 

21. — Collections, mineralogical and geological, and of 

all bran ches of Natural History 

22. — Houses, of wood or of iron, complete 

23. — Whalebone, unmanufactured 50 

24. — Designs and models of machinery, buildings, 

monuments and ships or vessels 50 

25. — Staves and heads for barrels 50 

26. — Vessels, ships, boats, etc., of all classes and 
forms, in their naturalization of for sale, or on 
their introduction for navigating the bays, 

lakes, canals and rivers of the Kepublic 

27. — Iron and steel, manufactured into rails for rail- 
ways 

28. — Fruit and vegetables, fresh, with the exception 

of those specified in the schedule of duties 50 

29— Guano 50 

30.— Ice 50 

31. — Hiposulphate of Soda.. 50 

32, — Corn meal, made from maize, and handmills for 

grinding it 50 

33. — Instruments, scientific 1 00 

34. — Books, printed, bound or unbound 1 00 

35.— Firewood 50 

36. — Bricks and clay, refractory 50 

37.^-Type, letter, gussets, spaces, lines, vignettes and 

every kind of printing type 50 

38.— Boxwood 50 

39. — Timber, common, for construction 50 

40. — Maize, Indian Corn 50 



260 

Gross Weight 
per 100 kils. 

41. — Mapsand glooes 1 00 

42. — Machinery — I. Machines and apparatus of 
every kind adapted to industrial purposes, to 
agriculture, mining and the arts and sciences, 

with their separate and duplicate parts 50 

IL Loose pieces of machinery and apparatus, com- 
ing together with or apart therefrom, are includ- 
ed in this exemption, but this exemption does 
not comprise the leather or rubber belting that 
serves for communicating motion, when it is not 
imported at the same time as the machinery to 

which it is to be applied 1 00 

III. Those articles of which a separate use can be 
made, distinct from the machinery or appara- 
tus, such as pig iron, hoop iron in bars or rods, 
stuffs of woollen or other material and tanned 
or untanned leather, even when they come 
jointly with the machinery shall be subject to 
the payment of duties, in accordance with the 

rates of the respective Tariff 

43, — Steam engines and locomotives, iron or wooden 
sleepers, and the other accessories for build- 
ing railways 

44. — Marble in the rough and in slabs of all dimen- 
sions for floors or pavement 50 

45. — Fuse and matches for mines 50 

46. — Ores of precious metals, in bulk or in powder... 

47. — Moulds and patterns for the arts 50 

48. — Legal coin of silver or gold of all nations 

40. — Coins, — collections of, — of all classes 1 00 

50. — Natural History — Specimens of — for museums 

and cabinets 50 

51. — Fodder — dry, in the straw 50 

52. — I. Plants and seeds for the improvements of ag- 
riculture exceeding 115 kilograms of each 

kind of seed 50 

II. In order that the seeds be comprised in 
this exemption, it must be expressed in the 
respective Consular Invoices, that they are im- 
ported for the improvement of agriculture 

63. — Lithographic Stones 60 

54. — Slates for roofing and floors 50 

65. — Powder — common, for the use of mines and 

dynamite for the same purposes 50 



261 

Cr^ross Weight 
per 100 kils. 

56. — Vaccine matter 50 

57. — Oars for boats and barges 50 

58. — Common salt, imported through "Paso del 

Norte." ^ 50 

59.— Saltpetre 50 

60. — Sulphate of copper 50 

61. — Anvils for silver smiths 50 

62.— Printing Ink 50 

63. — Type, wooden, and other materials for litho- 
graphy 50 

64. — Rays of all kinds for manufacturing powder 50 

65. — Joists, of iron for roofs, provided no use can be 
made of them for other purposes in which iron 

is employed 50 

66, — Anvils, Blacksmith's 50 

Article 17 th — The Executive of the Union can concede a 
dispensation of import duties, to the amount of one hundred 
dollars, on the articles brought in by the States of the Fed- 
eration, which are intended for the encouragement of ma- 
terial improvements and for the aid of public charities. 

Note of the Translator. — Notwithstanding the paragraph 
No. 42 declares machinery free of duties, iron shoes and dies 
for mortars and stamping mills are made to pay 6 cents per 
kilogram, gross weight, and iron stamps for crushing mills 
the same rate, as per paragraph of the Schedule of duties 
No. 448. George F. Henderson, Translator. 

One small trunk containing necessary wearing apparel, 
two watches and chains, one hundred cigars, forty small 
bunches of cigars, one-half a kilogram of snuff, one-half 
a kilogram of tobacco for pipe, one pair of pistols with 
their accesories up to 200 cartridges, one rifle, escopeia or 
carbine with accesories up to 200 cartridges, one pair of 
musical instruments, except pianos and organs. 

Formerly the Federal Government of Mexico had four or 
five additional duties, but these have all been consolidated 
into the tariff (which is one cause of its high rate), and one 
other duty paid to the Custom House in Mexico City of two 
por cent, on the tariff rate when the goods are shipped to 
Mexico City. There exists also a municipal and State duty 
on foreign goods, so that when the goods are landed at Vera 
Cruz they pass through the Custom House and pay the tariff, 
then another tax is laid upon them by the municipality, 



262 

when they leave Yera Cru?: All foreign goods must be pass- 
ed regularly through the custom house at Yera Cruz, when 
consigned to Mexico City by way of Yera Cruz. Upon their 
arrival in Mexico City the goods have to again go through the 
custom house in that city, the packages subjected to another 
opening, the local tax to be paid, and more charges for stamps, 
stevedores, etc. In spite o± all this annoyance, the merchants 
find the trade very profitable. It may be well to note that 
there is no bonded warehouse system under the Mexican tar- 
iff laws, and hence all goods must pay the duties when im- 
ported, one month being the time allowed for adjusting all 
questions of difference and payment. 

Before the goods are shipped : 1st, Consult the Mexican 
consul at your port on the regulations, and follow his instruc- 
tions to the letter carefully, obtaining the forms to be filled 
out from him ; 2d, Invoice the goods, procuring the Mexican 
consul's authentication to the same, or in the absence of a 
consul or vice-consul, authentication by two responsible mer- 
chants ; 3d, Manifest the goods with one or the other above 
specified authentications; 4th, Obtain the Mexican consul's 
receipt, when it can be obtained, on separate paper, for the 
fees paid on authentication, invoice and manifest ; 5th, Send 
all documents with the goods to whoever is to conduct the 
entry of the goods into Mexico ; 6th, See that the manifest 
and invoice is made in triplicate and contain an exact detail 
of quantity, kind, quality and value of everything in the cargo 
to be entered. Unless this rule is strictly complied with a 
heavy fine will be incurred ; 7th,' In packing the goods put 
each class as classified by the tariff in separate packages, those 
calculated by net weight of a certain specified value in one, 
those by gross weight in another, and those by square metre 
in another, and those by ad valorem in another, and when dif- 
ferent rates are attached to different kinds of merchandise, 
whether appraised by net or gross weight, or square metre or 
ad valorem, place the goods with the same tariff rates in their 
respective packages, classifying the respective goods by values 
of rates as well as by the manner of appraisement. The clas- 
sification by value is as necessary as the others from the fact 
that when different classes of values are packed promiscuous- 
ly, the appraisement will be made upon the whole package at 
the rate corresponding to the highest rate of any article con- 
tained therein ; 8th, In packing goods to be appraised by 
square metre, every package should contain the same number 
of yards. This will save the opening of packages, and the cal- 
culation can be made much easier for the invoice. 



263 
Manner of Acquiring Real Estal©. I 

Land is acquired in Mexico by denouncement, purchase, 
donation, accession, prescription, adjudication and inherit- 
ance The law relating to public lands limits the acquiring 
of said lands to 2,500 hectares (about 2J acres to each hec- 
tare) to each denouncer, but this may be increased by Gov- 
ernment grant. -,.,-, 4. 
The following legal opinion touching the denouncement 
of vacant lands,^by Hon. Judge Carlos F. Galan, one of the 
magistates of the Supreme tribunal of Siualoa and Lower 
California, but now practicing law In this city, is given to 
the public with the permission of Judge Galan: 

"A petition is presented to the District Judge (Federal), 
describing the lands by metes and bounds. The Judge 
orders the denouncement to be published in a newspaper for 
the period of three weeks. If no opposition is made, the 
Judge orders a survey of the land denounced, to be paid for 
by the denouncer, but in accordance with certain rules given 
by the government. That done and presented to the Judge, 
the expediente is given for examination to the District At- 
torney, who objects or not, as the case may be. In case of 
objection, the judge orders a new survey, or whatever may 
be needed, in accordance with the District Attorney s opin- 
ion When all is correct, the Judge adjudicates the land to 
the denouncer; a certified copy of all the proceedings is 
taken at the expense of the denouncer, and sent to the Gov- 
ernor of the State where the land is situated. He reports 
favorably or otherwise, and sends the papers, always at the 
expense of the denouncer, to the Minister of Fomento, in 
Mexico, and there the papers remain till their turn comes, 
and the Minister may or may not issue a patent. Thatis- 
sued, it is sent to the District Judge, who gives the judicial 
possession of the land, (not gratis, however) and the patent 
is delivered after paying for the land." 

The question of the right of foreigners to acquire real es- 
. tate in the Republic is an extensive one, and we shall con- 
tent ourselves with che following brief summary and refer 
our readers to the work entitled " Hamilton's Mexican Law, 
in which we have elaborately discussed this subject, and 
quoted all the laws extant relating thereto, together with 
the Mexican Constitution and decisions of Mexican tribunals. 
. The law to-day in relation to foreigners may be said to 
prohibit : 



264 

First — Acquisition of private lands within twenty leagues 
of the boundary line by foreigners without express permis- 
sion from the Supreme Government. 

Second — Denouncement of public lands by natives or 
naturalized citizens of the adjoining nations in any of the 
frontier States or Territory. 

Third — Acquisition of real estate in any part of the Re- 
public, unless the foreigner is either a resident of Mexico, 
or admitted to local privileges, or has become a naturalized 
Mexican citizen. 

Mexican Mining Law. 

The manner of denouncing mines is briefly as follows : 
The discoverer presents himself with a written statement 
before the Mining Deputation of that district, or Prefect, 
setting forth his name, place of birth, residence, profession 
or trade, the distinguishing marks of the site, hill or vein 
of the property. The statement is entered in a book of 
registry with the hour of discoverer's application, and re- 
turned endorsed to the discoverer for his security. Public 
notice is then posted on the doors of the church, or in other 
public places, and within ninety days a shaft IJ varas in 
diameter at the mouth and 10 varas in depth is sunk. One 
of the deputies, or the Perito, and a notary then personally 
inspect the bearings and direction of the vein, its width, in- 
clinations, its hardness or softness, solidity of its walls, na- 
ture and indications of the mineral, adding their report to 
the record with the certificate of possession, which is then 
given, upon fixing the dimensions of the claim and stakes 
or boundaries. Official copy of all of which constitute the 
title to the mine. 

Failure to work the mines four consecutive months with 
four regularly paid miners forfeits the mine, and it may 
then be denounced by another. Neglect to work the mine 
in the manner prescribed by law eight months in the year, 
counting from date of possession, although during said eight 
months, several days or weeks are interspersed, loses the 
right to the mine, unless this time is extended, or pestilence, 
famine or war intervene in the district where the mine is lo- 
cated, or within twenty leagues thereof. The mining ordi- 
nance, with all its latest modifications and mining decisions 
of Mexican tribunals, will be found complete in the work 
last before mentioned. 

The present law originally prohibited foreigners not nat- 



265 

uralized or allowed by special license, from acquriug or work- 
ing mines. This provision was repealed by subsequent 
laws and circulars, and now foreigners legally may acquire 
mines in all parts of the Republic, provided one of the 
partners resides within the limits of Mexico. On this subject 
see "Hamilton's Mexican Law," in wliich is discussed the 
right of foreigners to acquire mines within the proliibited 
belt, with the laws and circulars quoted therein. This 
right is withheld from foreigners by an unjust interpretation 
of the law applicable to foreigners. 



266 



Trade with Mexico. 

To thoroughly understand the present prospect of trade 
with Mexico outside of her promise of future development, 
it will be well to note the following facts : 

In 1876, Antonio Garcia Ciibas, one of the most reliable of 
Mexican writers, summed up the population of Mexico at 
9,495,157, as the census of 1875, of which 20 per cent, were 
of the European race and nearest descendants of the Spaniards, 
or 1,899,031. Of the remaining population 43 per cent, were 
of the mixed race, or 4,082,918, and 37 per cent, of the native 
Indian race, or 3,513,208. 

Within the last seven years the population has increased 
considerably, and especially within the last two years, the in- 
crease being through colonies and the natural development 
arising from the unexampled progress made in railroad build- 
ing. The population of some of the larger cities are as fol- 
lows: The City of Mexico, 280,000, which is larger than 
Kome in Italy, which has 244,484, or Lisbon with 253,000, 
San Luis Potosi 46,000, Puebla 76,817, Leon, in the state of 
Guanajuato, 100,000, Guanajuato 63,000, Guadalajara 93,875, 
Toluca 11,376, Coliraa 31,774, Zacatecas 62,000, Merida, cap- 
ital of the state of Yucatan, 66,000, Aguas Calientes 35,000, 
Morelia 25,000, Campeche 26,000, Saltillo 17,000, Chihuahua 
18,000, Durango 22,000, Pachuca 15,000, Mazatlan 13,000, 
Oaxaca 26,708, Queretaro 48,000, and Tlaxcala 36,463. It 
may be seen from the foregoing that the cities and towns of 
Mexico will compare favorably with other nations, and that 
she is almost as thickly settled in proportion to the extent of 
her territory as the United States, since the latter has only 
13.91 inhabitants to the square mile, while Mexico has about 
12.21 inhabitants to the square mile. 

" There are 146 cities, 872 towns, 4,486 villages, 6 missions, 
5,869 haciendas, 14,705 ranches, besides 2,248 collections or 
groups of houses denominated " congregaciones," " barrios," 
" rancherias," " cuadrillas," " riberas," and " estancias." 

Yalue of private real estate, rural, $ 773,000,000 

Private real estate in cities, 2,568,036,000 

Live Stock of all kinds belonging to individuals, 123,060,000 
Property belonging to the nation, 340,000,000 

Total property, without including other per- 
sonal property and mines, coasts, ports, 
lakes, bays, rivers, etc $3,794,060,000 



267 

The annual agricultural production of the Republic reaches 
to 6,569,524,903 kilograms, valued at $177,451,986. The 
harvest of corn alone reaches $112,164,424. The products of 
industrial establishments (manufactories, etc.) are estimated 
at from $13,000,000 to $14,000,000. 

There are 324 mining districts, 23 placers, and 1,694 mines 
(worked), which produce 2,567,306 cargas (300 lbs. to the 
carga) of metal per year, reaching the annual value of $29,- 
713,355 ; and the number of persons engaged in the mining 
industry, 102,240. 

The exportations from July 1st, 1877, to June 30th, 1878, 
were $28,777,508.07; and importations, $34,005,299.12. 

The above valuable information has been ably compiled by 
Senor D. Emilliano del Busto, and is recognized as authorita- 
tive in Mexico. 

The Department of Agriculture and Commerce has pub- 
lished a report upon the wheat yield of Mexico, from which 
we note the following : 

The amount of land cultivated for wheat is officially an- 
nounced at 6,909,932 hectares (2.48 acres per hectare) in 1880, 
and in 1879 at 6,876,975 hectares. In 1880 the amount of 
wheat raised was 68,725,075 metric quintals. From 1871 to 
1877, inclusive, the total production of wheat was 701,323,052 
hectolitres; and the amount consumed during the same period 
was 731,341,554 hectolitres, or necessitating an importation of 
30,018,502 hectolitres. During the year 1880 the production 
was 101,081,836 hectolitres, and the amount imported for 
home consumption was 3,395,529 hectolitres (each hectolitre 
being 2f bushels), or 9,337,704f bushels of wheat imported in 
1880. 

The following table shows that the trade of the United 
States with Mexico, exports to, and imports from, for the fiscal 
years 1879, 1880 and 1881, has moved as follows : 

1879. 1880. 1881. 

Exports $6,761,284 $7,869,864 $11,172,738 

Imports 14,047,819 16,325,417 17,454,126 

$20,809,103 $24,195,281 $28,926,864 
Exports from the United States to Mexico : 

ARTICLES. 1880. 1881. 

Cotton $1,176,067 $1,494,101 

Cotton goods - 832,000 1,018,600 

Machinery 365,200 988,800 

Other iron manufactures 390,000 913,000 



268 

Quicksilver 377,825 462,159 

Indian corn 68,872 240,182 

Fire-arms _ 209,467 224,301 

Chemicals, drugs, etc 142,237 209,953 

Builders' lumber 130,506 183,436 

Sewing machines 135,823 179,555 

Petroleum 155,328 173,155 

Gunpowder 49,627 145,397 

Edge tools 97,936 138,469 

Total $4,130,888 $6,371,108 

The imports into the United States from Mexico of coflPee, 
since 1875, run as follows : 

POTJNDS. 

1875. _ 2,691,889 $ 485,489 

1876. 3,941,229 713,833 

1877 6,789,693 1,265,970 

1878. 6,337,063 1,082,272 

1879 8,307,040 1,371,979 

1880 9,818,525 1,523,658 

According to the Treasury statistics of 1879, the articles 
which we are exporting to Mexico are as follows : — Acids, 
agricultural implements, live animals (principally sheep), beer, 
ale and porter, billiard tables, blacking, books, pamphlets, 
brass manufactures, breadstuffs, brooms, brushes, candles, car- 
riages, railway cars, clocks, coffee and spices, coal, combs, cop- 
per manufactures, cordage, raw cotton, cotton piece goods, 
drugs, chemicals, earthen and chinaware, fancy articles, fruit 
(green and preserved), glass and glassware, hats and caps, 
hemp manufactures, hides and skins, kips, india-rubber goods, 
iron manufactures, steel manufactures, lead manufactures, 
leatiier manufactures, lime and cement, musical and scientific 
instruments, matches, naval stores, oil, ordnance stores, paint- 
ings, paper and stationery, perfumery, plated ware, printing 
presses and types, provisions, quicksilver, rice, scales and bal- 
ances, seeds, sewing machines, soap, spirits, starch, steam fire 
engines, sugar (refined), candles, tallow, tinware, tobacco, trunks 
and valises, varnish, watches, wearing apparel, wine, wood 
manufactures, and some miscellaneous articles. The direction 
in which large gains are to be made is in the articles which 
Mexico imports from Europe. The great bulk of the trade 
which Mexico has with England is in cotton goods. Changes 
of an economic rather than of a political character are going 
on, which are destined to enlarge our commercial intercourse 



269 

with Mexico. In the first place, we are manufacturing many 
articles which the Mexicans prefer to those imported from 
Europe, either because of their greater cheapness or adapta- 
bility. In the next place, a railroad development is projected 
which will bring the two Republics under the same trans- 
portation system. 

The greatest demand for American manufactured goods 
will come from the white and mixed races, which constitute 
the wealthy and middle classes. Some of the business houses 
in the large cities have branch establishments in several cities, 
and are worth many millions. These classes wield the power 
of the Republic, and to-day are anxious to have brought to 
their doors that business energy and material progress that 
will give them the comforts and luxuries, as well as the busi- 
ness facilities, enjoyed in Europe and the United States. Many 
of the old houses have chartered vessels and brought their 
cargoes of goods from Europe. 

A large proportion of the wholesale trade, however, is in 
the hands of German and English houses, who have been 
struggling to obtain the control, and have battled with each 
other until the Germans have obtained the ascendancy. At 
present the greater proportion of the wholesale trade is under 
the control of a powerful ring of German importers and mer- 
chants, although a good proportion of the wholesale trade is 
yet in the hands of old Spanish and Mexican merchants, who 
are looking to the United States for a large future trade. 

. The native races, or Indians constitute almost exclusively 
the laboring classes of the Republic, and the assertion that 
they do not consume foreign goods is not borne out by the facts, 
although the raanufactunng industry in Mexico to-day is by 
no means insignificant. There are over 70 cotton factories, 
which produce mostly a brown, coarse cotton, locally known 
as niancas, not a little of the raw material for which is im- 
ported from the United States. In fact, over 21,000 bales of 
cotton annually are exported to Mexico from the United 
States. Although some 4,000,000 pieces of 33 yards each per 
annum are produced by the. Mexican manufacturers, and 9 
print works that turn out annually 400,000 pieces, and 10 
woolen mills that produce annually 2,000,000 pieces of cassi- 
mere and woolen cloth, — still Mexican manufacturers are 
unable to supply the home demand, and the American coarse 
cotton goods, cloths, blankets and calicoes, on account of their 
better designs and greater durability, are being preferred. 
The finer grades of woolen continue to come from France and 
England. 



270 

These classes of goods are consumed by the laboring classes, 
and the peon wears foreign cotton quite as often as the fabrics 
produced by the home manufacturers, while his tools and fire- 
arms and the showy dress of his wife come from the United 
States or Europe. The cheap black and white shawls, or 
" rebosos," universally worn instead of bonnets by the women 
of the lower classes, are largely in demand and are almost en- 
tirely manufactured in Mexico. 

An internal revenue tax has been put upon the products of 
the Mexican mills by the influence of the importers of foreign 
fabrics, but the cotton industry is well patronized and more 
mills are built every year. The production of cotton yarn by 
Mexican mills alone reaches to about 18,000,000 lbs. annually. 
The large national demand for cotton goods is such that a 
large importation of foreign cloths occurs annually. During 
the year 1875, out of $29,000,000 imports, $10,500,000 in 
cotton and cotton goods alone were imported. In 1881 the 
United States exported to Mexico $11,172,738 of goods, of 
which $2,512,701 was in cotton and cotton goods; of the lat- 
ter, $1,018,600, and the balance in raw material. 

In 1880, England exported to Mexico in cotton goods, plain, 
printed and mixed, $2,406,000 ; while the United States ex- 
ported of the same class of goods only $832,000. England 
has had the advantages of experience in the trade, and con- 
sequently manufactures to suit the Mexican taste, and pays par- 
ticular attention to packing, which is necessary in order to 
hold the trade. Cotton goods should be packed either in stout 
bales or in boxes, which will allow of their being placed on 
the backs of mules. This is important, since Mexican mer- 
chants complain that our manufacturers are indifferent as to 
the tastes of their customers, and often forget that the goods 
are to be transported upon mules ; while the English, who are 
acknowledged to produce inferior goods, carefully study the 
varying tastes of their Mexican patrons, as well as their cus- 
tomers in all parts of the globe, and pack their goods as their 
customers prefer. A better assortment of colors and fineness 
of finish is demanded by the Mexican traders. The quality of 
our goods is undisputed. When they become known to the 
purchasing community they continue to be demanded, and 
very easily supersede the British goods. 

The British manufacturers buy their raw material in the 
United States, carry it across the Atlantic, manufacture it into 
calicoes and woolens, and then ship it across the ocean to 
Mexico, and undersell our manufacturers. The cotton goods 
of coarse texture are sized to such a degree that the finish 



271 

completely disguises the quality, until a soaking rain reduces 
the fabric to the condition of a straining cloth. Here the 
durability of the American goods makes a revelation to the 
Mexican that he has been swindled, and the result is but 
natural. 

Along the Rio Grande the Mexicans are large buyers of our 
groceries, hardware and general supplies. American calicoes 
are gaining ground on the border, and Connecticut clocks may 
often be found throughout Mexico, while our improved fire- 
arms are largely sold in the chief cities of the Republic. Our 
type, printing presses and printing ink have found a market 
in the country, and even the improved type writer is known 
to so^e extent. There is but one electrotype foundry in the 
Republic, and that is in Mexico City. Among other articles 
of exportation to Mexico are tools, cans, kerosene, soap, re- 
fined sugar, quicksilver, nails, lamps, boots and shoes, bacon, 
butter, cotton-seed oil, gunpowder and blasting powder, per- 
fumery and paints. American patent medicines are well 
known in Mexico, and even the " pad " is not a stranger in 
the Republic. Lager beer, common wines, liquors and our 
finer brands of champagne and brandy are competing with the 
French wines and brandies, and the universal Mexican drinks, 
" mescal " and " pulque." An "American furniture ware- 
house " is one of the sights of the Mexican metropolis. Much 
of the furniture now sold in the country comes from Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, St. Louis, Mo., and Chicago. The mining machin- 
ery now being sent into the country comes from San Fran- 
cisco, Philadelphia and New York, and Pittsburgh and Chi- 
cago. Agricultural implements are being shipped from San 
Francisco, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. Hardware 
of all kinds is also shipped from the same points. Wooden 
ware is being supplied by St. Louis and New York. 

The trade in sewing machines is becoming an extensive one 
and the prominent cities of the Union are all becoming more 
or less interested in this trade with Mexico. The greater part 
of the sales in cotton and woolen fabrics are exported from 
New York and Boston, Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans. 
Overalls, custom clothing and woolens are shipped trom New 
York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. San Francisco 
supplies with St. Louis canned goods, and San Francisco 
alone supplies Mexico her wheat supply that is demanded in 
excess of her own production, while New Orleans and San 
Antonio and Galveston export to the Republic her needed 
supplies of raw cotton over that of her own production. Tuc- 
son, Arizona, furnishes a large part of the mining supplies for 



272 

the northern part of the Republic, assisted by Santa Fe and 
San Francisco, with a small proportion from New York. 

The western manufacturers of Chicago and San Francisco 
will eventually control the manufacture of agricultural imple- 
ments, with possibly some competition with New York and 
St. Louis, with the odds in favor of Chicago. The balance of 
the trade will be distributed in proportion to the energy of 
the business houses in the several cities with the elements 
of the cost of transportation and the productions of certain 
localities playing important parts. 

That the trade is valuable with great possibilities is admit- 
ted, and the extensive investments of American railroad capi- 
talists who have carefully studied the probabilities of future 
profit upon their capital invested, is significant. The work of 
Mexican railroad development, however, is not altogether an 
experiment, as appears from the publication of the receipts and 
expenditures of the English company operating a road from 
Yera Cruz to the City of Mexico. This road was completed 
in 1873 and is 263 miles in length, and its gross earnings for 
the first year were $2,117,553. In 1881 its gross earnings 
were $4,831,215, or more than doubled. This does not in- 
clude the generous government subventions. The gross earn- 
ings we thus see were in 1881 at the rate of $16,484 per mile 
and the net earnings nearly $10,000 per mile. For the years 
1879, 1880 and the first half of 1881 the working expenses 
averaged only 41.93 per cent, of the gross traffic. 

During the nine years in which the road has been in practi- 
cal operation the net profits foot up over $12,700,000 exclu- 
sive of government subsidies. In 1880 the profits amounted 
to $2,147,589, which increased in 1881 to $2,958,720, or an in- 
crease in one year of $811,131 or an increase of $67,594.25 
per month in the net profits. 

The Merida and Progreso railway is only 28 miles in length, 
the traffic over which increased eighteen-fold in ten years. 
The railroad cost about $300,000 and now earns at least fifty 
per cent, per annum, by official report of the company. The 
traffic in hemp alone amounts to $90,000 per annum. 

This is sufficient to show that with transportation facilities 
the trade of Mexico will reach magnificent proportions. This 
trade will soon be under the control of American capitalists as 
well as the transportation facilities, and the first in the field 
are the men who will secure the confidence and the patronage 
of the merchants of Mexico, and consequently will be entitled 
to the profits of a continually increasing trade. 

As before mentioned the greater part of the wholesale trade 



273 

of Mexico is now controlled by German importers and mer- 
chants, while the balance is in the hands of English, French, 
Spanish and Mexican merchants. The retail trade is princi- 
pally controlled by foreigners, for although native Mexican 
storekeepers are found in every village, town and city, the fin- 
est and best stocked stores are owned by Spaniards, the ma- 
jority of whom are not even citizens of the republic. These 
small dealers are controlled, with an iron hand, by German 
firms who in turn are held in commercial bondage by the 
great business houses of Germany, of which the Mexican 
houses are but branches. 

The German merchants wrested this commerce from the 
English by the means of a system of long credits they extend- 
ed to the smaller dealers. Once in the clutches of these gen- 
try the Spanish and Mexican retailers find it difficult to es- 
cape, and go on, from year to year, the mere commercial slaves 
of these haughty merchant autocrats. 

But within the last two years the influx of foreign capital 
into Mexico, through the medium of the railroad movement 
which is now sweeping over the republic, has injured the in- 
fluence and the commercial power of the Germans. As this 
foreign capital enters the country and is disbursed by enter- 
prises that are under American influence, the latter obtain 
with the masses the credit of bringing this treasure into the 
republic, and the Mexican people are thus led to look with a 
more friendly eye on Americans and commercial relations with 
the United States. The greater part of this foreign money 
fi.nds its way into the tills of the retail dealers ; by consequence 
they are enabled to buy on shorter time for less price than 
formerly, and thereby lessen their interest account with the 
importers. 

The merchants have to pay an exorbitant interest to their 
creditors. The amount advanced is charged with from 8 to 12 
and at times even 18 per cent, per annum, while they have at 
last come to see that this extravagance more than counter- 
balances the advantage gained from buying on long time, and 
are meditating a change of base to a cash system. The time, 
then, has come for American houses to enter this great com- 
mercial field and compete with the German merchants in the 
very market they have so long controlled. The same causes 
which enabled the Germans to capture the commerce from 
the English and French, will put it in the power of American 
merchants to displace the Germans in their turn. For the 
retailers have begun to rebel against the commercial bondage 
they have so long suffered, and have learned that the long 



274 

credit system, with the exorbitant interest that attends it, eats 
away their capital and leaves them at the mercy of their terri- 
ble creditors. 

As money becomes more plentiful, trade will be correspond- 
ingly livelier. New retailers will open stores along the line 
of the various railroads, and in the vicinity of the newly open- 
ed mines that there are now strong hopes of seeing developed. 
These new merchants will take warning from the experience 
of those for whom they formerly may have worked, and whose 
position they are acquainted with, and will be only too glad 
to eschew long credits, and shun the illusive friendship and 
offers of the German commercial rulers of Mexico. 

A new era has dawned upon awakened and rejuvenated 
Mexico — an era of material and social improvement. The 
Mexicans have seen the foreign merchants who make the repub- 
lic their mere camping-ground ; who come to the country to 
make their fortunes and then leave it, send millions of treas- 
ure annually to Germany in payment for goods which, in many 
cases, can be purchased much cheaper in the United States, 
and have concluded to change their tactics and buy for them- 
selves in the markets most convenient for them. 

They imagine they can find the line of goods they want in 
this country, and to a great extent they can ; thus it depends 
entirely upon the merchants of this section to send agents to 
Mexico with samples of goods suitable for that trade during 
the coming winter, and they will be rewarded for their enter- 
prise by the establishment of a constantly increasing and valu- 
able trade. 

How to Secure Mexican Trade, 

The "Two Eepublics," published in*Mexico City, in an ed- 
itorial says : ''It would doubtless be a good plan for Amer- 
ican manufacturers and merchants to send intelligent agents 
into Mexico to deal directly with purchasers ; indeed, all or 
nearly all the agents of this character who have come to Mex- 
ico have been rewarded with success. However, merchants 
doing business here complain that the orders sent to the Uni- 
ted (States or given to American agents here are not always 
filled with exactitude. Sometimes the articles are not the 
same as those ordered and at others the quantity sent is in excess 
of the order. Such recklessness as this is unknown in busi- 
ness here, our merchants do not fancy it, and will not submit 
to it except as a last resort. The merchant knows when he 
Bends an order to England, France or Germany that exactly 



275 

what he wants will be sent him, and he runs no risk of ha v ■ 
ing a lot of goods nnsuited to the market thrust upon him. 

" Merchants in Mexico insist upon having their dry goods 
sent them in bales ; for this they assign various reasons. Eu- 
ropean shippers comply with this desire, but Americans, with 
rare exceptions, will use nothing but boxes. 

" European shippers make the Mexican tariif and custom- 
house laws a study ; Americans do not consider such small 
matters worthy of their attention. The goods sent by Euro- 
peans pass through the Mexican custom-houses without the 
slightest trouble ; those sent by American manufacturers and 
merchants are often subject to double or triple duties, on ac- 
count of irregularities of the manifests, arising from ignorance 
of the Mexican custom-house laws. 

Agents sent by American houses to Mexico should not con- 
fine their studies to the market ; they should carry their in- 
vestigations muck farther, and completely master the manner 
of doing business in this country. In order to do this, more 
time is required than is usually at the disposition of traveling 
agents, therefore, a permanent agency would be an improve- 
ment on the present custom of sending agents into the coun- 
try periodically, and the establishment of a branch house 
would doubtless prove more successful in the end than either 
system." 

We take the following extract from a letter written from 
Mexico to a Boston paper : " There are four methods ol 
seeking the Mexican trade : 1st, Through the medium ot 
commission merchants in the United States, who are in- 
trusted by merchants here with the purchase of such Ameri- 
can goods as they require, and who will forward to their 
correspondents such samples as may be given them for that 
purpose ; 2d, By sending to commission merchants here, sam- 
ples and catalogues with the idea that they will make such 
representations as will result in business; 3d, By reaching di- 
rectly, through the medium of such a publication as yours, the 
d.ealers here, and, as I stated in the beginning of this letter, 
the value of such a medium depends altogether upon carrying 
out a perfect system of distribution ; and if that proposed by 
you is carried out, the object is attained. The merchants will 
communicate with the manufacturers or their selling agents — 
they prefer to do so, — saving thereby the middleman's per- 
centage ; then the samples, catalogues, and prices can be sent, 
and if found necessary, the fourth and last method, or final 
effort, can be made, viz. : sending here the very best represen- 
tatives to do the business, — men who understand fully the de- 



276 

tail of manufacture, and whose address and bearing will secure 
Euch a reception as a gentleman will command. The person 
sent must expect to spend some time making acquaintances, 
inspiring respect, and studying the w^ants and peculiarities of 
this market. If what he represents possesses excellence, nov- 
elty and co-operative cheapness, it will succeed; and the only 
thing then necessary to drive in the last rivet is by sending 
out here just what was sold. 

There is a market for all kinds of hardware, agricultural 
implements, carriages, harnesses, pianos and organs, fine cot- 
ton goods, mill and mining tools and machinery, American 
flannels, hosiery, woolens for gentlemen's wear, glassware, 
lamps and gas-fixtures, furniture, fine leather, hats, trunks and 
valises, surgical and scientific instruments, fire-arms, etc. 

In addition to the statements of the commercial traveler, we 
would call attention to some further important facts : Firsts 
Under Mexican law it is necessary that an agent should be ap- 
pointed with two separate powers of attorney, issued in ac- 
cordance with the formalities of Mexican law, who is a res- 
ident of Mexico, one with pow^er to transact business, and the 
other to collect, and if necessary, to bring suit in a Mexican 
court for the claim that may result from any commercial con- 
tracts. Unless this is complied with, no contract made by a 
foreigner who is not a resident of Mexico, and matriculated, 
can be enforced in a Mexican court. 

Second, No judgment by default obtained in a foreign 
court will be recognized by Mexican courts, and in every case 
a trial must either be had in the foreign country, with the 
defendant, or his representative in court, before the execution 
can be issued from a Mexican court, or the trial must be 
held in the Mexican court, the case having been commenced 
by a representative who is a resident of Mexico and duly 
authorized by the foreign house, in which case only a judg- 
ment by default, or upon trial, can be legally had. 

Third, Contracts made by commercial travelers for foreign 
houses not established in the Republic, or through commission 
merchants, unless duly authorized agents, can only be legally 
enforced by placing said claims in the hands of an agent duly 
authorized, who is a resident of Mexico. 

Fourth, Commercial travelers should be matriculated before 
taking any orders. 

Fifth, The safest and quickest manner of collecting claims 
in Mexico is to communicate with the American consul of the 
nearest port in Mexico as soon as an order is filled, making 
inquiry for a reliable person who may act as agent, and send 



277 

on authority for collection and to commence suit to enforce 
the claim, if necessary. This should be done as a measure of 
precaution to save delay. 

The American consul in many instances acts ae the agent. 
The formalities required by Mexican law in granting power 
of attorney may be found, as well as the Mexican commercial 
and civil law, in " Hamilton's Mexican Law," 

Sixth, In filling orders, either upon samples or without, 
send only what is ordered. This is important, for the pur- 
chaser, under Mexican law, is obliged to receive only the 
goods that correspond in kind and quality with the order, and 
upon his refusal to accept the consignment, delays and ex- 
pense in recovery of the goods will be costly. 

Seventh, Carefully follow the tariff regulations as to invoice, 
marking, packing, etc., consulting with the Mexican consul 
upon all questions of doubt. 

Importance of Matriculation. 

The attention of citizens of the United States residing in 
Mexico is called to the fact that the laws of Mexico require 
that all foreigners shall be matriculated at the Department for 
Foreign Affairs in order that they may have a recognized for- 
eign nationality. 

Application for matriculation papers should be made 
through the Consulate General at Mexico, and through the 
consular officials in other parts of the Kepublic. This is im- 
portant in the event of any complications between individuals 
and the government. 

Not only is this important in relation to any complications, 
but it is absolutely necessary in order that a foreigner may 
have any standing in a court of justice in the Republic. 

No act performed prior to the fact of matriGulation can he 
remedied or benefited hy subsequent matriculation. Hence 
the protection awarded by this law must be sought, before any 
business is transacted by a foreign resident in the Republic. 
See " Hamilton's Mexican Law," subject: " matriculation." 

Importance of Securing Patents for Inventions and 
Improvements in Mexico. 

The present demand for all classes of machinery in Mexico 
is unexampled in the history of any nation. The slow growth 
of Mexico heretofore has debarred machinery of all kinds, and 
inventors and improvers have consequently omitted to secure 



278 

patents in the Republic. This state of affairs no longer ex- 
ists, and if it is desirable that the results of inventive skill in 
the United States are to be preserved by those who hold pat- 
ents, it may be as well to call their attention to this large 
field that demands to-day the results of their labors. 

Patents may be easily secured in Mexico, and it is sheer 
folly to neglect to take the necessary precautions to preserve 
the results of years of toil and experiment, that may be util- 
ized in the Republic. 

Mexico must have machinery of all hinds used in the Uni- 
ted States or Eurojpe^ sooner or later. Here is the great mar- 
ket, let it be remembered, for years to come, and inventions 
or improvements must follow the path of progress. Manufac- 
turers are finding a foothold in Mexico, in the shape of cotton 
manufactories, which may be seen by the article upon " The 
Trade with Mexico," herein, and machine shops are now 
turning out machinery of different kinds in Mexico. Foun- 
dries have been established at Durango, Mazatlan, Guayraas 
and Puebla, and others will be established in different por- 
tions of the Republic. Manufactories of agricultural imple- 
ments are also being established, one already being in Mexico 
City and another in Puebla. This is sufiicient to patentees to 
show them that Mexico is awake, and with her vast fields of 
coal at Laredo, and on the Yaqui river in Sonora, near Cosala 
in Sinaloa, and at Santa Rosa and Piedras Negras in Coahu- 
ila, Mexico will in the near future be able to establish a 
large manufacturing industry. Manufactories and machine 
shops may be easily established, and produce, with the aid of 
these immense coal fields, all kinds of machinery. The duties 
and freights, added to the cost of the articles, that now prevail 
offer too strong a temptation to manufacture the various 
kinds of machinery jincluding agricultural implements and vari- 
ous utensils that are to-day needed in Mexico. This suggestion 
is sufficient, for the patentee will readily see that unless he se- 
cures his patent in Mexico, unscrupulous manufacturers may 
manufacture machinery without the payment of a royalty in 
Mexico, and imitate every class of inventions and compete so 
successfully with American machinery, that the patentee will 
be debarred from the Republic. This becomes the more ob- 
vious when it is considered that the Mexican or foreign man- 
ufacturer in the Mexican market has no duties to pay, nor 
freight for foreign transportation. Hence his advantage over 
the foreign manufacturer. 

Full and complete protection may be secured under the pat- 
ent laws of Mexico by any foreigner who has secured a patent 



279 

in hie own country. The complete patent law applicable t© 
foreigners may be found in " Hamilton's Mexican Law." In 
addition to which, we herewith give a statement from Mr. D. 
Y. Whiting, a patent solicitor of Chicago, whose experience and 
ability are unquestioned. The following decision was received 
by Mr. Whiting from Minister Fernandez: 

Department of Public works, Colonization, Manufactories and 

Commerce. 
Section 2, No. 276.— Sr. David Whiting : 

Sir: — Tour letter of the 5th instant has been received by 
this department, in which as the attorney for Sr. John S. 
Adams, you solicit a patent for certain improvements which 
vou say have been introduced into the construction of towers 
\torres) for the electric light, wind-mills, etc., accompanied 
with their respective drawings and specifications. 

In reply to which, and upon consultation with the Presi- 
dent of the Eepublic, it is declared to you that although the 
law in force only concedes patents for inventions made in the 
Eepublic, the Congress has been pleased to concede the same 
to foreign inventors ; but in future cases it will be necessary 
that the said inventions be accredited with the patent issued 
in their own country. 

Liberty and the Constitution. 

Mexico, July 17, 1882. M. Fernandez. 

In connection with the above we present the following state- 
ment of Mr. Whiting : 

-* The patent laws of Mexico are being so modified that pat- 
ents for inventions and improvements will be issued for fif- 
teen years upon the payment of a patent fee of $150. Pat- 
ents will also issue for five or ten years upon the payment of a 
patent fee of $50 and $100 respectively. They will also be 
issued for the unexpired term of a foreign patent upon the 
payment of a patent fee of $10 per annum during the term 
the foreign patent has to run. Application for a patent from 
a foreigner must in all cases be accompanied by the patent is- 
sued by the government of which he is a citizen. Drawings 
and specifications must be in the Spanish language, and in du- 
plicate. One copy is returned with the patent, if issued, to 
the applicant or his attorney, and the other remains on file in 
the Department of Public Works. Internal revenue stamps 
to the amount of twenty dollars are to be affixed to the patent 
when issued. Translations cost about $1.00 per hundred 
words, and the duplicate Spanish copy about 40c. per 100 



280 

vrords. Attorneys' fees vary from $150 to $500, according to 
the nature and intricacy of the case. 

David Y. Whiting, 
Attorney and Solicitor of Mexican Patents, 
102 Washington St., Chicago, 111. 

Treaties between Mexico and the United States. 

The following has been officially published by the Depart- 
ment of Foreign Affairs : 

" The treaty of navigation and commerce celebrated between 
Mexico and the United States of America on April 5th, 1831, 
was withdrawn from, by the Government of Mexico on the 
80th of November, 1880, in accordance with the stipulations of 
part 1st of article XXXIY. of the said treaty, and of article 
XYII. of that of February 2, 1848, which ratified the former. 

The convention entered into between Mexico and the Uni- 
ted States of America on July 10th, 1868, regarding the nat- 
uralization and citizenship of parties who emigrate from one 
country to the other, was withdrawn from by the government 
of Mexico on the 10th of February, 1881, in accordance with 
the stipulations of Article Y. of the same. 

The said treaties ceased to have force, the former on the 
31st of November, 1881, and the latter on the 11th of Febru- 
ary, 1882. 

By order of the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, the present 
notice is published for the information of the authorities and 
of the public generally. 

Mexico, June 5, 1882. 

(Signed) Jose Fernandez, 

Chief Clerk. 

An Important Decree. 

From the Budget-laws recently passed by Congress and for- 
mally promulgated by the President, in the form of a decree, 
the following is translated : 

" From the Ist of November next gold and silver coin, in 
bars, bullion, ore, or in any other form, shall be free of duty 
for circulation in the interior or for exportation. In order to 
compensate the suppression of the duties referred to in this 
clause, from the above date an increase of two per cent, 
shall be enforced on the duties now fixed on the importation 
,jf foreign goods, but in the meantime the export duties on 

15 



281 

gold and silver shall De collected in accordance with the laws 
in force during the present fiscal year." 

* * * * * * * 

"The following articles are hereby excepted from the pay- 
ment of package duties {dereoho de hulto,) imposed by the laws 
of May 31st and June 25th, 1881 : 

Plows and plow-points. 

Masts, tackle and anchors for shipping. 

Quicksilver. 

Live animals. 

13ricks and tiles of all kinds. 

Common timber for building purposes. 

Cotton, tobacco, coffee, and sugar-cane seed*. 

Slates for roofs. 

Vaccine matter. 

If Mexico means to profit by American enterprise and 
capital, she must make great reduction in her tarifl. She 
has already gone too far in tempting foreign capital to in- 
vestment in developing her interior transportation facilities 
to attempt to recede from the path of progress upon which 
she has entered. This she cannot do without betraying men 
who are animated with the liveliest feelings in behalf of 
her develoitment, and who have not hesitated to pour Amer- 
ican capital into her bosom and infuse energy throughout 
her channels of trade. Millions have been invested in her 
mines and building railroads, and this is but the beginning 
of continuous development that will lead the emigrant to a 
land awaiting his coming. Americans are aggressive in 
business affairs, and when once the temptation to invest- 
ment has met with a response by millions of capital, no at- 
tempt by unfriendly legislation will deter or hinder but 
temporarily the sweeping changes now being inaugurated. 
We are satisfied the more intelligent classes of Mexicans 
are perfectly willing and are even anxious that their coun- 
try shall keep pace with modern civilization and that they 
will ultimately remove every obstacle to the commer- 
cial and political reciprocit}^ that should bind two sister 
Republics together with indissoluble ties of friendship and 
mutual commerce. 



APPENDIX. 

Commercial Directory 

OF THE 

PRINCIPAL MERCHANTS OF MEXICO. 

FOR PRIVATE USE OF MERCHANTS. 

[COPTBIGHT, 1882] 

State op Aguas Calientes. — City of Aguas Calientes, capital, 35,000 
inhabitants ; principal merchants, — Viuda de Chavez 6 hijos, Davilo Her- 
manos, Aguilar Hermanos, Severino Martinez, Villanueva y Felgueres, 
Eefugio Giiinchard, Francisco Espino, Manuel Asco, Pedro G. Hornedo, 
Espiridion Gonzalez ; lawyers, — Isidro Arteaga and Luis G. Lopez; phar- 
macists, — Luis de la Rosa, Alcibiades Gonzalez, Juan Maria. 

State of Campeche. — City of Campeche, capital, 26,000 inhabitants; 
merchants, — Jos§ Ferrer 6 hijos, Casselot, Gutierez y Comp., Eduardo Ber- 
ron Barrett, Manuel Ferrer Itur, Rafael Preciat Estrada, Eduardo Estrada, 
McGregor y Hermanos, Regil y Comp. ; lawyers, — Joaquin Baranda, Fran- 
cisco Magana. 

State of Coahuila de Zakagoza. — City of Saltillo, capital, 17,000 in- 
habitants; merchants, — Juan O'Sullivan, Jos6 Negrete, Guillermo Purcell, 
Damaso Rodriguez, Juan C. Sanchez, N. Sota, Daniel Salas, Carlos Marti- 
nez Quiroz, F. Llaguno, Joaquin Z6peda, Zamora Hermanos, Padilla Her- 
manos, Jesus Monies, Juan Pablo Saucedo, Sabas Ayala, Jose Maria Ra- 
mos, Fermin Villareal, Dionisio Garcia, Romulo Garza, Francisco Flores 
Martinez, Marcelino Garza, Donato Wolpe, Eusebio Calzado, Jose Juan 
Rodriguez, Francisco Rodriguez, Hilario de la Pena, Amado Cavazos, An- 
tonio Flores, Sabas Gutierrez, Amado Prado, Jesus Grande, Atanasio Mor- 
ales; lawyers, — Eugenio Maria Aguirre, Miguel Gomez y Cardenas. 

City of Parras de la Fuenta, 8,000 inhabitants ; merchants, — Evaristo Ma- 
dero y Co., Guillermo Prince, Fernando Rojo, Redone Lajons; lawyers, 
— Juan de Dios Argel, Manuel Z. de la Garza. 

Mondova, 4236 inhabitants; merchants, — Telesforo Fuentes, Eduardo 
Hartz, Gregorio Arredondo, Ramon Muzquiz. 

San Buenaventura, 3,500 inhabitants; merchants, — Serna Hermanos, 
Cayetano R. Falcon, Margil Sanchez. 

Oandela, 3037 inhabitants, — Francisco Rodriguez, Antonio Neira, Mont- 
mayor Hermanos. 

Zaragoza, 2,600 inhabitants; merchants, — Antonio Urcullo, Elisco Felan 
y Antonio Garza. 

Piedras Negras, frontier custom-house; 2,500 inhabitants; merchants, — 
Jesus del Castillo, Santos Coy, Santiago Ridel, Jose Rivera y otros. 

Cuatro Cienegas, 3,200 inhabitants; — vineyards, — Aniceto del Castillo, 
Jesus Carranza y Albino Morales. 

State of Chiapas. — City of San Cristobal las Casas, 10,295 inhabitants; 
merchants, — ^Vicente Ferrera, Wenceslao Panigua, Mariano Avila, Angel 



de la Vega, M. Aj-mendaris, Mariano Cabrera, Cleofas Dominguez y Haba- 
za 6 hijos; lawyers, — J. Antonio Velasco, Clemente J. Robles. 

State of Chihuahua.— City of Chihuahua, 18,000 inhabitants; mer- 
chants, — Miguel Salas, Felix F. Maceyra, Domingo Leguinazaba], Gonza- 
lez Travino Hermanos, Quetelson y Degetan, Antonio Azunzulo, Benigno 
Navarro, Refugio Tejada, Gustavo Moye, Stalfford Miramontes; commis- 
sion merchants, lawyers, — Laureano Munoz, Jose M. Revilla. 

State of Colima. — City of Colima, 31,774 inhabitants; merchants, — 
Oetling Hermanos y Comp.,Kere Vander Linden y Comp., Alejandro Get- 
ling y Comp., Agustin Schact, Esteban Garcia, Smith y Madrid, Jorge 01- 
dembourg, Manuel Rodriguez, Epifanio Diaz, Gregorio Alvarez, Maximo 
Vargas, Francisco de la Plaza, Alberto de la Plaza, Antonio de la Calleja, 
Miguel Barreto, Dolores Giiizar y Comp., Jos6 Maria Alcaraz, Cenobio 
Madrid, Salome Gomez, Guillermo Voguez, Enrique Olmayer, Aristeo Go- 
mez; apothecaries, — Augusto Morril, Cosme Suarez, Francisco J. Cueva, 
Crescendo Orezco, Ignacio Fuentes; lawyers, — Miguel Gonzalez Castro, 
Juan Rojas Vertiz. 

State op Durango. — City of Duran go, 23,000 inhabitants; merchants, 
— Garza Hermanos y Comp., Dorman y Comp., Hildebrand y Comp., Ger- 
man Stahlknecht y Comp., Juanbelz Hermanos, Francisco Alvarez y Comp., 
Salcido Hermanos, C. Rodriguez, Lowree Hermanos, Rios y Comp., Pedro 
del Rio, Ajidres Basterra ; lawj'ers,— Francisco G. del Palacio, Ladislao L. 
Negrete; pharmacists, — Manuel de AviU, Eusebio de Ostolaza. 

State op Guanajuato. — City of Guanajuato, 63,000 inhabitants; mer- 
chants, — Gonzalez y ViOastnor, Caire y Andriffred, Pedro Oscar, Francis- 
co Pedraza, Diego Abascal, Manuel Ajuria, Francisco Castaneda, Juan 
Romero, Lino Gutierrez, Eulogio Mingo, Palassnn, F. Obregon Hermano, 
Stallforth, Alcazar y Comp.; iarokers, — Ramon Fragua. Jesus Fernandez, 
Francisco P. del Rio, Florentino Manriquez, Feliciano Guzman ; lawyers, 
— Joaquin Chico, J. Ortiz Careaga. 

State op Guerrero. — City of Chilpancingo, 3,000 inhabitants; mer- 
chants, — Gabriel Celis, Pedro Castro ; lawyers, — Domingo Catalan, Santia- 
go Cortes. 

Acapulco, merchants, — J. M. Indart, Alzuyeta Hermano y Comp., Agus- 
tin DempwolfF, Meyerink y Comp. 

Chilapa; merchants, — Andraca Hermanos. 

State op Hidalgo. — City of Pachuca, 15,000 inhabitants; merchants, 
— Jose Maquivar y Comp., Francisco Cacho y Comp., Marcial Islas, Juan 
B. Langier, A. Mercheyer, Nicolas Valdez; lawyers, — Francisco Axciniega, 
Francisco Hernandez, 

Tulandngo; merchants, — Calixto Manuel y Comp., Pontal Castella y 
Comp., Tomas Urrutia, Juan B. Ortiz, J. Lorenzo Cossio, Jacobo Cortes, 
Manuel Gonzalez Varona; lawyers, — Francisco Rodriguez Madariaga, 
Manuel S. Rodriguez. 

State op Jalisco. — City of Guadalajara, 93,875 inhabitants; merchants, 
wholesale, — Palomar Gomez y Comp., Francisco Martinez Negrete y 
Comp., Teodoro Kunhardt, Alfonso Ayman, Fernandez Somellera Herma- 
nos, Manuel Fernandez del Valle, German Hell y Comp., Oetling y Comp,, 
Justo B. Gutierrez, Agustin Gil, Antonio Alvarez del Castillo ; tobaccon- 
ists, — Enrique de la Pena y Hermano, Heraclio, Farrias y Comp., Sandoval, 
Franco y Comp.; clothing houses, — Martinez Gallardo y Hermanos, Toofl- 
lo Lebre, Juan Munoz y Comp., Antonio Alcaraz, Canuto Romero, Ramon 
Ugarte, Manuel Ornelas, Francisco Silva, Jose Garibi y Comp., Julio Ros- 
si, Feliciano Corona, Luciano Gomez y Hermano, Felix Muniz, Juan Bo- 
badilla, Luis Cruz y Comp ; hardware, — Julio Yurgensen, Agustin Blume, 
Agustin Bhartolly, Mauricio Rohd ; general merchandise, — Martin Ga- 
vira, Ramon Garibay, Donaciano Corona, Miguel Garibi, Celso Cortes, Is- 
abel Cortes, Antonio Romero, Ramon Gomez, Gonzalez Olivarez Herma- 
nos, Loweree y Hermanos, Mardueno y Camarena; druggists, — Lazaro 



Ill 

Perez, Nicolas Puga, Nicolas Tortolero, Vidal Torres; lawyers, — Aurelio 
Hertnoso, Esteban Alatorre. 

State of Mexico. — City of Toluca, 11,376 inhabitants; merchants, — 
Benito Sanchez, Agustin Hoth, Cortino y Sobrino, Guarduno Trevilla 
Hermanos, Benigno Rojas, Agustin Ayala; lawyers, — Antonio Inclan, 
Alberto Garcia. 

State op MicuoacAn. — CityofMoreli a, 25,000 inhabitants; merchants, 
Gustava'Graveuhorst, Ramon Ramirez, Benito Barroso, Luis Infante, Jose 
Maria Infante, Nemesio Ruiz, Salvador Macouzet, Santiago Ortiz, Loreto 
Martinez del Campo, Eduardo Iturbide, Placido Guerrero, Vallejo Herma- 
nos, Jose J. Retana, Pablo Torres Arroyo, Gabino y Epifanio Oseguera, 
Ramon Villareal, Ignacio Solorzano, Audiffred Hermanos, Chazes y Gui- 
do, Atanasio Mier, Juan Vallejo, Manuel Montano Ramiro, Juan Galvan; 
lawyers, — Bruno Patino, Jose Trinidad Guido. 

State op Morelos. — City of Cuernavaca, 12,000 inhabitants; mer- 
chants, — Francisco Azcarate, Arambnro Hermanos, Juan Pagaza, Fortu 
y Comp., Santiago Fernandez, Francisco Cells, Felix Vertis, Angel Ibar- 
guen, Tajonar Hermanos, J. Juan Gonzalez, Agustin Munoz, J. Rios; 
lawyers, — Refugio de la Vega, Clemente Castillo. 

State of Nuevo Leon. — City of Monterey, 37,000 inhabitants; mer- 
chants, — Martinez Cardenas, Zambrano Hermanos y Comp., Hernandez 
Hermanos Sucesores, Bernardino Garcia, Patricio Milmo, Jose Gutierrez, 
Jacinto Galindo, Juan B. Gonzalez, Pragedis Garcia, Reynaldo Bernardi, 
Federico Palacios; lawyers, — Domingo Martinez, Rafael de la Garza. 

State op Oaxaca. — City of Oaxaca de Juarez, 26,708 inhabitants; mer- 
chants, — Allenrie y Sobrino, Bairiga 6 hijo, Cobo de la Peiia, Juan Domin- 
guez, Gabriel Esperon, Ignacio Figueroa, Juan Garcia, Luis G. Hinzitres, 
Carlos y Comp., Quijano y Comp., Stein Gustavo y Comp., Trapaga, Juan 
S. Wiecher y Comp., Maqueo Hermanos, Jimenez Mariano, Moya Luis, 
Ramirez Mariano, M. Puyos, Frores Andres, Ibanez Ramon; lawyers, — 
Marquez Cenobio, Juan Maria Santaella, Justo Benites. 

State of Puebla. — City of Puebla, 76,818 inhabitants; merchants, — 
Marroquin y Gauthier, Ramon Laine, M. Toquero, Francisco Traslosheros, 
Mier y Conde, Manuel Garcia Teruel, Diehl y Comp., J. B.Lyons y Comp., 
Chaix y Comp., M. Gomez Ligero, Jose Maria Couttolene, Arnau Salles, 
Jose Diaz Rubin, .lose Caloca, Adolfo Arrioja, Luis Bello, Dionisio Velas- 
co, Luis Garcia Teruel, Francisco Cabrera, Antonio Resales, Manuel Con- 
de, Lions y Comp., Felix Perez, Ramon Acho, Florencio Gavito M. Her- 
nandez, Hernandez y Comp.; lawyers, Francisco Gomez Daza, Clemente 
Lopez, Joaquin Ruiz. 

State op Qceretaro. — City of Quer6taro, 48,000 inhabitants; mer- 
chants,— Carlos Rubio, Arnando y Martel, Rivera y MacGregor, Jose Gar- 
cia Gonzalez; lawyers, — Juventino Guerra, Prospero Vega. 

State op San Luis Potosi. — City of San Luis Potosi, 45,000 inhabit- 
ants; merchants, — Muriedas y Comp., J. H. Bahnsen y Comp., Matias A. 
Soberon, Aristi y Comp., Herculano M. de Lara Sucesores, A. Guthiel y 
Comp., Pitman y Co., Caire y Texier, Aguerre Hermanos, Jose Lorenzo 
Campos, Pons Hermanos, Carlos Danne, Ortolozaga y Comp., Varona y 
Comp., Jose M. Davalos, Manuel Noriega y Comp., Antonio Delgada Ren- 
teria, Balmori y Comp., Larrache Sucesores, Gastinel y Auber, Ignacio 
Noriega, Juan Jose Ottermin, Macedonio Gomez, Tena, Lavin y Diliz, 
Juan Equillor, Gedowius y Comp., J. Heredia, J. M. Otahequi, Jose Rod- 
riguez Angelina; lawyers, — Tomas del Hoyo, Ignacio Arriaga. 

Gity of Matehuala, 25,000 inhabitants ; merchants, — Soriano y Almanza, 
Barrenechea Hermanos, Trinidad Avila, Moreno Hermanos. 

Giudad del Maiz; merchants, — Joaquin Barragan, J. Dominguez, Fran- 
cisco Anaya. 

Bio Verde; merchants, — Antonir^ Castro y Carrion, Testamentaria de 
Jose Pando, Antonio Castillo. 



State op Sinaloa.— City of Mazatlan, 17,000 inhabitants; merchants, — 
Francisco Echeguren Hernjanay Sobrinos, Melchers Sucesores y Comp., 
Banning Hermanos y Comp., Hernandez Mendia y Comp., Francisco Tel- 
leria y Comp., Federico Koerdell J. delaQuintana y Comp., Somellera, 
Hermano y Comp., Pena y Comp., Tames Hermanos, Levess y Comp., 
Canobio Hermanos, Jesus Escobar, Haas y Encinas, Charpentier, Ray- 
naud y Comp., Gustavo Legrot y Comp., Juan Lewels, Hidalgo Carreaga y 
Comp. ; bankers, — Echeguren, Hermanos y Sobrinos, J. Kelli y Co.; brok- 
ers and commission merchants, — Francisco Duhagen, Maxemin Herma- 
nos, Manuel Castellanos, Juan C. Farber, Joaquin Santa Cruz, Adolph 
O'Ryan, Fred Holderness, Ignacio Guerrero; general merchandise, — Angel 
Podesta, Mateo Magana, Rafael Vargas Delgado, Tapia y Cevallos, Fel- 
ton Hermanos, Rogers y Marshall, Mauricio Beltrau, Francisco Diaz de 
Leon, Benjamin Bates, Vicente Ferreira y Co. 

State op Sonora. — City of Hermosillo, 12,000 inhabitants; merchants, 
— Albistegui y Alatorre, Francisco G. Noriega, Agustin A. Pesqueira, 
Ruix y Mascarenas, Celedonio Ortiz ; lawyers, — Jose de Aguilar, N.Rod- 
riguez ; brokers,— Florencio Velasco. 

Ouaymas; merchants, — F. A. Aguilar sucesores, Vicente Ortiz 6 hijos, 
Irigoyen y Escobosa, Juan P. Camou, Sandoval y BuUe, Juan de Castro, 
Milller y Comp. ; lawyers, — Jesus M. Gaxiola, Jose Monteverde. 

Ures; merchants, — Lauro Morales, Francisco Hernandez, Eduardo Mor- 
ales, Francisco Sicre, Francisco C. Aguilar. 

State op Tobasco. — City of San Juan Bautista, 8,000 inhabitants; mer- 
chants, — Romano Hermanos, Bulnes Hermanos, M. Berreteaga y Comp., 
Burelo, Mosquera y Comp., Ruiz de la Pena y Hermano, Ramon Lanz Her- 
manos, Graham y Vidal, Jamet y Sastre, Maldonado € hijos, Oliver Her- 
manos, Policarpo Valenzuela, Juan C. Fernandez, Ramon Tames ; lawyers, 
— Limbano Correa, Manuel Sanchez Marmol. 

State op Tamaulipas. — City of Matamoras; merchants, — Jose de la 
Mora, Adolfo Mak, J. Lira, Jose M. Armendais sucesores, Santiago Belden. 

Gity of Victorio, 6,000 inhabitants ; merchants, — Pablo Lavin, Casimiro 
Lavin, Francisco Cortina, Martin Dosal, Antonio Elguera, Jose Zorrilla, 
Viuda de Martinez; lawyers, — Juan Garza, Bias Gutierrez. 

Tampico, 5,000 inhabitants ; merchants, — Lastray Com., Fuscu Hermanos, 
Federico J. Schultz, Goldy Herm, Juan J. Vina, Trapaga y Comp., Matienzo 
y Comp., Prom y Comp. ; lawyers, — Modesto Ortiz, Diego Castillo Montero. 

State op Tlaxcala. — City of Tlaxcala, 36,463 inhabitants ; merchants, 
— Trinidad Rojas, Emmanuel Trasdefer, Miguel Gomez (p.), Miguel Go- 
mez (h.), Lorenzo Viiias, Juan Vazquez, Felix Diaz, Eulalio Corona, Ber- 
nabe Perales, Tiburcio Lopez, Albino Rodriguez; lawyers, — Manuel Tello 
Covarrubias, Miguel Melgarejo. 

State op Vera Cruz. — City of Vera Cruz; merchants, — Landero, Pas- 
quel y Comp., Bonne, Stiucke y Cnmp., D'Oleire y Comp. sucesores, R. C. 
Ritter y Comp., Watermeyer, Wieches y Comp., During y Comp., Agustin 
Gutheil, German Kroncke sucesores, M. C. de Markoe y Comp., Ed. Ron- 
gel Junior, Jauiired, Ollivier y Comp., Guillermo Busing y Comp., Cos, 
Castillo y Comp., Calleja Hermanos y Comp., Villa Hermanos sucesores, 
C. A. Martinez y Comp., Torre Fischer y Comp., Jorge Bameto, Javier 
Mufioz, J. Galdinena y Comp., M. Guillacon y Comp. sucesores, Brehem y 
Comp. sucesores, Wittenez, Villa y Comp., Vendrell, Villenave y Comp., 
Francisco de Prida y Comp., Jayme Romaice. 

State op Yucatan. — City of Merida, 56,000 inhabitants; merchants, — 
Milan y Hermanos, Viuda de Regil & hijo, Vernancio Cervera y Comp., 
Camp y Comp., Crasseman y Comp., Ravensbourg y Comp., Ricardo Guti- 
errez y Comp., Luis Gutierrez, Fuente y Hermano, Vales y Capetillo, Rod- 
riguez, Atoche y Comp., Alvarez y Comp., Haro y Comp., Celestino Ruiz 
del Hoyo, Pinelo 6 hijo, Pedro Cicero, Dario Galero, Rotger y Comp., 
Manuel Donde Camara, Manual Zapata, Eusebio Escalante 6 hijo, Carrill 



Camara, Ramon Aznar, Jose M, Ponce y Comp., Alfredo Peon, Hoffman y 
Dominguez, Benito Aznar, Perez y Comp., Pedro Leal, Ibarra y Comp., 
Palma y Hermano, Jacinto Lizarraga y Comp. ; lawyers, — Pastor Esqui- 
vel, Olegario Molina. 

City <tf Progreso, B,200 inhabitants; merchants, — Alejandro Barrera, Ig- 
nacio Sabido, Antonio Alonzo, Alberto Morales, Braulio Canton, George 
Llanes. 

State of Zacatecas.— City of Zacatecas, 63,000 inhabitants ; merchants, 
wholesale,-7-Oscar Lorense, Kimball, Alverdi y Comp., Pio Arenas, Julien 
Ibarguen, Ramon C. Ortiz y Comp., Antonio Gomez Gonzalez; clothing 
merchants, — Jose M. Escobedo, Nava Salvador Tellery, Daniel Escobedo, 
Jesus Vasquez, Manuel Viadero y Comp., Euteimio Hermanos, Apestegui, 
Juan Olivie, Fabricas de Francia, Ciudad de Londres, Puerte de Liverpool, 
Mariano Cuevas, Apolonio Serrano, Jesus Romero, Pedro Dartayer, A. 
Subriria/ general merchandise, — Viuda de Reyna, Gabriel Segura, Manuel 
Cano, Feliciano Gomez Gonzalez, Ignacio Montes de Oca, Juan Ferran, 
Cayetano Escobedo, Meade Hermanos, ViUanueva Fermin Diaz; hard- 
ware, — Carlos Stork, Angel Ramos, Gustavo Shoder, La Palma, Camilo 
Larras, El Ferrocarril, Jose Flores ; brokers, — Domingo Sanchez, Tomas 
Martinez, Cruz Diaz de Leon, Mariano B. Real, Mariano Ruiz, Luis G. 
Veyral, Eustaquio Parra, Pascual L. Velarde, Jose M. T. Escalante, Jose 
Solorzano; jewelers, — Desiderio Lebre, Guillermo Brunert; druggists, — 
De la Parroquia, del Comercio, de la Caja, del Leon, del Patrocinio, de 
Tacuba, de Villareal, de Leal; lawyers, — T. G. Cadeno, Alejandro del Hoyo. 

Tekr'itokt of Baja California. — City of La Paz, 4,000 inhabitants; 
merchaats, — Gonzalez y Ruffo, Cota y Palaiz, Pablo Hidalgo y Comp., J. 
Mendez sucesores, Gregorio Rivera, H. Von Borslel, Lautaro Ramirez, Gil- 
bert Hermanos; lawyers, — Carlos F. Galan, Antonio Canalizo. 

El THunfo, 4,000 inhabitants ; merchants, — Aristeo Mendoza, Cota y 
Pelaiz, Maximo Cota. 

San Jose, 2,500 inhabitants; merchants, — Hipps y Comp. 

Muleje, 1,500 inhabitants; merchants, — Moller y Comp., Vicente Goro- 
zave, Francisco Fierro Mejia, 6 hijo. 

Military Canton of Tefic, Included in the State of Jalisco. — 
City of Tepic, 23,213 inhabitants ; wholesale merchants and manufactur- 
ers, — Barron, Forbes y Comp. of sugar, — Juan Antonio de Aguierre, Com- 
pania Tepiquena, Juan A. Tostado, director, of mantas and yarns, — Adolfo 
Kindt, wholesale dealer, Gustavo Delius; general merchandise, — Menchaca 
Hermanos, Ernesto Stegemann, Nicolas Perez Gomez, Sara Garcia, Vinda 
de Leal, Dolores Escudero, Viuda de Munoz, Trinidad Hernandez, Vicente 
Castillo, Prudencio Robles; clothing, — Francisco Anaya e hijo, Manuel 
Pacheco, Jose M. Munoz Ruiz, Julio Fuentes, Alejandro Santa Maria; 
Mexican goods, — Juan Mardueno, Mariano Perez Torres; hardware, no- 
tions, etc., — Federico Nolte, Joaquin Perez Gomez; general merchandise 
and cigar manufacturer, Jose Corona; cigar manufacturer, Amado Fletes; 
druggists, — Gefonimo, G. Gonzalez, Francisco Gomez Virgen, hijo, Anto- 
nio Ibarra. 

San Bias; merchants, general merchandise and cigar manufacturer and 
commission,— ^Juan Lanzagorta; general merchandise and commission, 
Manuel Carpena, Natividad Rivera ; general merchandise, Abel Villasen- 
or, Felix Uribe; druggist, Antonio Castilla; commission, Edmundo Weber, 

Santiago; merchants, manuf'r of mantas, Joaquin Perez Gomez ; cloth- 
ing, Federico Beyer. 

Ahvacatlan; merchants, clothing and general mdse., — Emigdio Ulloa, 
Flavio Partida, Flaminio Ulloa. 

Compostela; merchants, clothing and general mdse., — Jose M. Perez San- 
di, Vicenti Pintado. 

Ixtlan; merchants, clothing and general mdse., — Enrique Menchaca, 
Jose M. Partida, Emilio Cosio. 



Federal District, Uj of Mexico. 



SeCOOO I3iTl5C.A.BI'X'-A.iT'rS- 



PRINCIPAL MERCHANTS. 



Cmimission. — Beat Eicardo, calle del Puente del Espiritu Santo 
mimero 7: Esteinon Jos6 P., calle de Cadena numero 4; Revueltas 
Valentin, calle de San Agustin numero 11; Argtlelles Eduardo calle 
de Capuchinas numero 16; Gonsalez Guerra Antonio, calle de Capu- 
chinas numero 14; Horn Agustin, calle de Capuchinas numero 9 ; Prueba 
R de calle de Cadena numero 14; Gandolf Clemente. 1 ?* calle de la 
Monterilla numero 6; Gutierrez M., calle de Capuchinas numero 15; 
Claussen Sucesores, 3 .* calle de la Monterilla numero 6; Peredo y comp. 
Eduardo, calle de Tiburcio numero 20; Garcia L. C, calle de la Indepen- 
dencia numero 3; Espejel M., calle del Espiritu Santo numero 3; Beigne 
R N calle de Tiburcio numero 7; Daza y Merodio, calle de Don Juan 
Manuel numero 1 ; Santiago Agustin de, calle de Don Juan Manuel nu- 
mero 13; Valle Ramon del, 1 ?^ calle de San Ramon numero 2; Prado y 
comp. Cm Baios Porta Coeli numero 1; Pelaez Santos, calle de Meleros 
numero 1- Torre Rodolfo, calle de Don Juan Manuel numero 11; Sttiler 
V Aguilar calle de Don Juan Manuel numero 20 ; Carrera Rafael I., calle 
de San Bernardo numero 2K ; Reyes, Vazquez y comp., calle de Don Juan 
Manuel numero 9; Rivero y Lazo, calle de San Bernardo numero 10; 
Borbolla J., calle de Tacuba numero 14; Delgado Eusebio, 1 .=« calle del 
5 de Mayo; Goy Juan, calle de Donceles numero 22; Buenrostro 6 hijos, 
calle de las Esculerillas numero 13; Luviaur y Lara, calle de Cocheras 
mimero 22; Legrand Manuel, 3 ?> calle del 5 de Mayo numero 13; Car- 
denas y comp., calle de Mecateros numero 4. , « rx • 

Note Brokers.— Best Fernando, calle del Espiritu Santo letra G. -, Honig 
Bernardo calle de San Andres numero 17; Lartundo Juan, calle de Man- 
rique numero 6; Arellano Jos6, 2 ^ calle de la Aduana Vieja numero 6; 
Pinzon Cleofas, calle de las Inditas numero 5; Gutierrez Manuel, Puente 
de San Pedro y San Pablo numero 9; Hernandez Amado, calle del Cuad- 
rante de Santa Catarina numero 14; Serrano Nicolas, calle del Empedra- 
dillo; Espana K, callejon de Santa In6s numero 73^; Quiroga y comp., 
calle de Cardobanes numero 4; Duenas Juan, 2 ?= calle del 5 de Mayo 
numero 4; Salgado Refugio, Portal de Santo Domingo numero 5. 

Custom House Brokers.— Feredo y comp. Eduardo, calle de Tiburcio nu- 
mero 20; Aranzubia Manuel, calle de Tiburcio numero 30; Legrand 
Manuel 3 ? calle del 5 de Mayo numero 7; Arellano Jesus G., calle de 
D.Juan Manuel numero 11; Enciso y Cardeno, calle de Capuchinas nu- 
mero 6- Turlong y comp., calle de Zuleta numero 32; Garcia Mora E., 
calle de'D. Juan Manuel numero 21; Guerrero J. M., Juan Manuel numero 
24- Kern Santiago, Tercer Orden de San Augustin numero 4; Marchand 
A 'n calle de Cadena numero 24; Romero Pedro M., 2 ?« calle de la Mon- 
terilla numero 8; Vazquez Cirilo, calle de D. Juan Manuel numero 9; 
Sanroman Tel^sforo, calle de San Agustin numero 17. 



Vll 

Wholesale, in Mexican and Foreign Goods.^Santo Manuzuri y comp, calle 
de Tacubay 1 =« de Santo Domingo; Huerta Manuel, calle del Empedra- 
dillo numero 11; Messer Agustin, 3 ?^ calle de San Francisco numero 4; 
Baxas Justino, 3 J* calle de San Francisco numero 4 ; Viuda Genin, 2 ?* 
calle de Plateros numero 3; Villegas Emilio, calle Ancha y callejon de 
San Antonio; Gutierrez y comp., Quintan, Seminario esquina; Torro 
Isidoro de la, 1 ?* calle del Reloj numero 8; Dupeyron Alejandro, calle 
del Coliseo Viejo numero 20; Zepeda Francisco, 2 'P calle de San Francisco 
yColiseo; Noriega Ignacio de, calle del Angel numero 5; Noriega Remi- 
gio, calle de Capuchinas numero 13; Clare y Hellion, calle del Coliseo 
Viejo numero 23; Cortina Mendoza M., calle de Tiburcio numero 1; Payro 
Leandro, calle de Don Juan Manuel numero 18; Gnerra Jos6 T., calle de 
Jesus Nazareno numero 2; Lavi6 y comp., calle de Don Juan Manuel 
numero 7 ; Rovalo A., calle del Puente de Jesus numero 9 ; Ponton her- 
mano, calle de las Rejas de Balvanera numero 3 ; Uhink y comp., calle de 
Don Juan Manuel numero 23; Vidal Manuel, esquina de la Joya y Jesus; 
Abascal y Perez, calle del Puente del Correo Mayor numero 6. 

Wholesale, Mexican Merchandise. — Sevilla y Roa, 1 f* calle de Plateros 
numero 3; Rodriguez Feliciano, calle del Puente de Palacio numero 10; 
Nosti Carlos, calle de San Bernardo numero 9; Arenas Alejandro, Rejas 
de Balvanera numero 1; Pelaez Pedro, calle de Cadena numero 16; P'or- 
tilla 6 hijos, calle de Capuchinas numero 13; Teresa 6 hijos, calle de Lerdo 
numero 6; Arzamendi F., calle del Tercer Ordeu de San Agustin 2; 
Suinaga hermano, calle de Cadena numero 20; Martinez y Compaiiia, calle 
del Angel numero 2; Escandon hermanos, calle de Capuchinas numero 11; 
Teresa Nicolas de, calle de Lerdo nfimero 4. 

Wholesale, Foreign Merchandise. — Wexel y De Gress, 1 '? calle de Plateros 
numero 5; Delarue E., 2 ?= calle de Plateros numero 1; Jacott Alfredo, 

1 ^ calle de Plateros numero 4; Weil y Simon, 1 '? calle de Plateros mi- 
mero 1 ; Richaud y Andr6, calle del Empedradillo numero 12; Fortune 
Leandro, calle de Tacuba numero 22 ; Jauretchey C f , calle de Capuchinas 
numero 2; Cordova Pedro, calle del Espiritu Santo numero 7; Rio Jos6 
Maria del, calle de la Palma numero 6; Bocker y C J* Roberto, Puente del 
Espiritu Santo 4; Jacott A., calle del Refugio numero 19; Gutheil y C J^, 
calle de la Palma numero 13; Lohse y C S* , calle de la Palma mimeros 9, 
lOyll; Penaiia Marcial, calle del Refugio numero 19; Brehem y C ?^. 

2 '^ calle de la Monterilla numero 3; Shemidt y Borjian, calle de Capu- 
chinas numero 4; Wissel y C ?^, calle de San Agustin numero 6; Bonne 
Struck y C ?^, calle de San Agustin numero 10; Bermejillo hermanos, 
calle de Capuchinas numero 10; Waston Phillips y C f^ , Don Juan Manuel 
numero 10; Wattemayer y Wincher, calle de San Agustin numero 15; 
Guerin y C ?^ , calle de Espiritu Santo numero 9; Jauffred Ollivier y C ?^ , 
1 5* calle de la Monterilla mimeros 5 y 6; Fandon Argentin y C ?*, 1 ?^ 
calle de la Monterilla 2; Fourcade y Gouppil, 1 ?• calle de Plateros nu- 
meros 7 y 8; Albert Julio, 1 J^ de la "Monterilla numero 4; Hubvershon y 
C ^ , Esquina de la Monterilla y Capuchinas; Sengstack y C ?^ , calle de 
San Augustin numero 7; Moreno y Rover, Monterilla y Capuchinas; 
Gassier y Reynaud, Portal de las Flores y Callejuela; Kienast y C =^ , 3 ?^ 
calle de la Monterilla numero 12; Ebrard y C ?^ , esquina de San Bernardo 
y Callejuela; Shults y C .=* , 2 =« de la Monterilla numero 9; Levy y Martin, 
calle de Don Juan Manuel numero 23 ; Aubert y C ?^ , Portal de las Flores 
mimeros 3 y4; Jjohse Santiago, calle de Don Juan Manuel numero 4; 
J. M. de Prida, calle de San Bernardo numero 3; Benecke sucesores, calle 
de Capuchinas numero 7. 

Wholesale Druggists. — Wandlen Wingaert, calle del Puente del Espiritu 
Santo; Mayers, Fribolin y C ?^ , calla de la Palma; Labadi e y Pinson, 3 ?^ 
calle de San Francisco niimero 5; Lozano y C ?^, 3 ?^ calle de San Fran- 
cisco numero 4; Farine Sanders y C 5* , esquina de las calles del Refugio 
y Lerdo; Vargas y C ?, calle del Espiritu Santo numero 3; Andrade y 



VIU 

Soriano, calle de la Joya niimero 10; Bustillos J. E., calle de Tacubo mi- 
mero 8; Llano J. M. P., calle de Manrique niimero 5; Urhlein y C f', 
calle del Coliseo numero 3. 

Firearms. — Morel y C S^ , calle del Refugio mimero 11; Roche A., calle 
del Espiritu Santo numero 1%; Wexel y De Gress, 1 * calle de Plateros 
niimero 5; Sanchez D., calle de Balvanera; Pagliari Fernando, calle del 
Coliseo numero 14. 

Banks. — Banco de Londres, Mexico y Sud-Am6rica, calle de Capucliinas; 
Bermejillo Hermanos, calle de Capucliinas numero 10; Martin Pedro, calle 
de Cadena numero 21 ; Banco Franco — Egipcio; Banco Commercial. 

Druggists. — Gonzalez Julian, 3 ?^ calle del 5 de Mayo numero 3; Kaska 
Francisco, calle del Espiritu Santo numero 1%; Tinoco Francisco, calle 
de Guadalupe niimero 9 ; Bernal Francisco, calle de San Hipolita numero 7 ; 
Altamirano Fernando, calle de Don Toribio numero 9; El mismo. calle de 
la Aduana Vieja numero 4; Loaria Menores, 1 J* calle de San Juan nii- 
mero 10; Arteaga Ramon, 3 '? calle Ancba numero 7; Santoyo Ramon, 
calle de la Joya numero 10; Arteaga Ramon, calle del Sapo numero 18; 
Urbina Manuel, 3 ? calla de San Juan niimero 1; Lares Manuel, calle de 
la Mariscala niimero 1; Vertiz Ricardo, 2 ? calle de las Damas niimero 5; 
Oropeza Marcial, calle de Hidalgo y Lerdo; M. Rio de la Loza, Hospital 
Real; El mismo, 1 f^ calle de Santa Catarina mimero 4; El mismo, calle 
de la Merced numero 21; El mismo, Puente del Fierro y Chaneque; Perez 
Severiano, 1 ?^ calle de la Rivere de San Cosme numero 73^; Aranjo Jesus, 
calle de Manzanares; Aveleyra Ramon, Puente de Jesus numero 8; Lelo 
de Larrea N., 1 ?^ calle del Reloj numero 1; Bustillos J.E., colle de Tacuba 
aumero 7; El mismo, calle del Tompeate niimero b%\ El mismo, calle 
de Manrique y Canoa; Lazo de la Vega J. M., 3 ?^ calle del Reloj numero 12; 
Patiflo y comp., Hospital de San Andres; Coronado Agustin, calle de 
Olmedo niimero 1; Gaona Juan B.,Rejas de la Concepcion numero 6; 
Carmona y Yalle, 2 '? calle de Santo Domingo mimero 4; Garaycoecbea 
Angel, Puente del Espiritu Santo numero 10; Cervantes Silva A., 1 f* 
calle de Santo Domingo niimero 4; El mismo, calle de las Rejas de Bal- 
vanera mimero 5; El mismo, calle de Leon niimero 9; Esnaurizar M., calle 
de la Mariscala numero 1; Gonzalez Francisco, Bajos de Porti Coeli; 
Iriarte M., Puente de Santa Catarina; Muycelo Jos6, calle de San Hipolite 
niimero 17; Montes de Oca Francisco, calle del Niiio Perdido 5^; Patiiio 
Pomposo, Plazuela de Villamil; El mismo, 3 "? calle del Rastro mimero 7; 
Vallejo Testamentaria de, calle de Roldan; Pailer L., 1 ?^ calle del 5 de 
Mayo y San Jos6 el Real; Guerrero Agustin, San Cosme; Rio de la Loza 
M., calle de Santa Catarina numero 1; El mismos, Sepulcros de Santo 
Domingo mimero 10; Rio de la Loza Francisco, 2 '? calle de Yanegas; 
Tinoco Carlos, 1 ?^ calle de San Francisco numero 13; Urueta Bernardo, 
2 ?^ calle de San Francisco mimero 5; Noriega Tomas, calle de la Alhon- 
diga niimero 5; Gutierrez Miguel, Puente de la Misericordia; Ramos 
Manuel, calle de Santa Ana numero 7. 

Glassware. — Rigal y Masson, Portal de Agustinos niimero 1; Gomez de 
la Vega J., 1 f* de Santo Domingo; Hildebrand y comp., 1. =* calle de Pla- 
teros numero 1; El mismo, calle del Empedradillo niimero 4; Serrano y 
comp., calle del Empedradillo; Pino Tomas del, Portal de Aguytinos nii- 
mero 5; Jiminez Miguel, 1.=^ calle de la Merced niimero 28; Martinez y 
comp., Bajos de Porta Coeli mimero 11. 

Furnishing Goods. — Coblentz Benito, 2 ^ de Plateros y Palma; Tousaint 
Clara, calle del Espiritu Santo mimero 4; Coblentz B. y S., calle de la 
Palma numero 11 ; Sabas Lorenzo, calle de la Palma niimero 1; Carballeda 
Manuel, calle del Coliseo niimera 11^ Andres Julian, calle de la Palma 
niimero 13; Iglesias Francisco, 2.'^ de San Francisco niimero 9; Mangard 
Fernando, 1.'=* calle de Santo Domingo; Manterola Angela, 2.°^ de San 
Francisco numero 7; Ouvrard viuda de, calle de la Palma niimero 2; 
Sales L., calle de la Palma numero 1 ; Nieto de Parra M. , calle de Tacuba 



IS 

niimero 11; M. Chauvet, 1. * de la Monterilla y San Bernardo; Rubio 
Felipe C, Portal de la Aguila de Oro; Bardet y comp., calle del Coliseo 
niimero 35; Pastor Concepcion, 2.°^ calle de San Francisco numero 13. 

Clothing. — Ollivier y comp,, I.'* calle de la Monterilla numeros 5 y 6; 
Jandon Argentin y comp., 1. '^ calle de la Monterilla niimero 2; Fourcade 
y Goupil, 1. * calle de Plateros numeros 7 y 8; Gassier y Reynaud, Portal 
de las Flores y Callejuela; Evrard y comp., San Bernardo y Oallejaela; El 
mismo, 1. '^ de Monterilla y Refugio; Aubert y comp.. Portal de las Flores 
numeros 3 y 4; Palacio y bermanos, Diputacion y Callejuela; Signoret 
bermanos, 1. '^ de la Monterilla numero 8; Fourdant y com., 1.* de la 
Monterilla niimero 8; Barreda y comp., sucesores, San Bernardo numero 
18; Gomez y comp.. Portal de las Flores numero 9; Fernandez y Mijarez, 
calle de Flamencos numero 3; Llacuri y Arrecbedera y comp.. Portal de 
las Flores numero 5; Vald^s Antonio, Portal de las Flores niimero 2; 
Arroyave Genoveva, 2. °* calle de Santa Catarina niimero 11. 

Foreign Exchange Brokers. — Barron, Forbes y comp., 1. "^ de San Fran- 
cisco numero 9; I. R. Cardena y comp., sucesores, callejon de Betlemitas 
numero 12; Ortiz de la Huerta R., calle del Empedradilo numero 11; 
Gutbeil y comp. A., calle de Ocampo numero 1; Watson, Pbillips y comp., 
calle de Don Juan Manuel niimfero 10; J. M. De Prida, calle de San Ber- 
nardo numero 3; Martinez, J. L, companiadel Ferrocaril de Mexico a Vera- 
cruz; Benecke sucesores, calle de Capucbinas numero 7; Martin P., calle de 
Cadena niimero 21; Bermejillo Hermanos, calle de Capucbinas niimero 10; 
Bonne, Struck y comp. , calle de San Agustin numero 10 ; Teresa Nicolas 
de, calle del Lerdo numero 4; Ibanez Manuel, calle de Capucbinas numero 
2% ; Lascurain A., Tercer Orden de San Agustin numero 5. 

Petroleum and Oils. — Arcila M., calle de Zuleta numero 8; Aguirre Jos6 
M., calle de la Merced numero 19 ; Diaz Guadalupe, Puerta Falsa de Santo 
Domingo niimero 7 ; Marenco Miguel, 3. "^ calle del Relox niimero 6; 
Munoz Riva I. de, 2. '^ calle del Rastro numero 3 ; Aguirre y bermanos, 
Puente del Correo Mayor numeros 10 y 11; Bocanegra Juan, Zaragoza 
numero 26; Rivera Manuel, Portillo de San Diego numero 8; Campa N., 
calle de Santa Clara numero 10 ; Robelo Maria, calle del Puente Quebrado 
niimero 11. 

Sewing Machines. — G. Lobse y comp., calle del Refugio niimero 8 ; Bocker 
y comp., Puente del Espiritu Santo; Adams Francisco, 1. "^ del 5 de Mayo 
numero 4; Gutbeil y comp,, calle del Refugio niimero 10. 

Boole Binders. — Vargas Macbuca C. , 2. =* calle del Relox niimero 3 ; Vane- 
gas Antonio, calle de la Encarnacion niimero 9 ; Arroyo de Venegas A., 
calle de la Perp6tua numero 8^; Calvillo Jesus, calle del Esclavo rwimero 1 ; 
Tornel M., 1. "^ calle de San Lorenzo numero 6; Sainz Ricardo, calle de 
las Escallerillas numero 13 ; Castillo Andres, calle de San Jos^ el Real nii- 
mero 21 ; Figueroa Francisco, calle de San Agustin letra G. ; Marcu6 
Alejandro, calle de Tiburcio niimero 18; Macbuca Jesus, calle d'C Medinas 
niimero 21 ; Freire Alejandro, calle de la Moneda numero 8; Galves Mari- 
ano, 2. ^ calle de San Lorenzo numero 11 ; Guerra Mariano, 1. <* calle del 
6 de Mayo niimero 4; Guerra Manuel, callejon de Santa Clara niimero 10; 
Jara Celso, calle de Zuleta numero 15. 

Piano Manufacturers and Dealers. — Wagner y Levien, calle de Zuleta 
niimero 14; Nagel sucesores, calle de la Palma niimero 5; Bardet y comp., 
calle de Cadena niimero 24; Wisseman Carlos, calle de las Escalerillas 
ntoiero 6. 

Metal Foundries. — Finamoriy«comp., calle de Tiburcio niimero 4; Pas- 
qnali J. M., calle de Ortega numero 11; Fusco Antonio, calle de Ortega 
rnSmero 24 ; Brandi J., calle de Ortega numero 17 ; Dantan Luis, calle de 
Zuleta numero 7. 

Manufacturers of Brass Bedsteads. — Linet Luis, callejon del Espiritu 
Santo numero 14; L6pez Antonio, calle de Ortega niimero 11; Zapata 
Eutimio, Puente del Correo Mayor niimero 5. 



Jewelers. — Dietrich J., calle del Empedradillo mimero 4; Lagarrigue L., 
Empedradillo y Plateros; Dicimer R., calle 1.=* de Piateros numero 1; 
Schreiberg y comp., 3.°^ de San Francisco numero 3; Ducommun Mjo A., 
2. '^ calle de Plateros numero 4 ; Garcia E., 3. '^ calle de Plateros numero 3; 
Llop Francisco, calle Santa Clara numero 7; Muiron y comp., 3.=^ calle 
de Plateros numero 11 ; Sommer y comp., 1. '^ calle de Plateros numero 11; 
Laz'j German, 3.'=* calle de la Plateros numero 9; Hartman y comp., 1.'^ 
calle de Plateros numero 14; Jchoffer Martin, 1.'=* calle de Plateros nu- 
mero 11 ; Bittroff, 3. "=* calle de Plateros niimero 9 ; Zivy hermanos y Hauser, 
2. ■* de Plateros niimero 10; Rotracker Alfonso, 1."^ de Plateros numero 
14; Aldana Ramon, calle del Coliseo Yiejo numero 3; Sobrado Pedro, 
calle del Coliseo Viejo numero 35 ; Quiutana hermano, calle del Coliseo 
Viejo numero 17; Saesy y Callado, calle del Coliseo Viejo; Spaulding, 
calle de Cadena numero 4; Diaz Florencio, 2. '^ calle de la Monterilla nii- 
mero 10 ; Hernandez Tomas, 3. "^ calle de San Francisco numero 6. 

Fancy Ooods, Notions, etc. — Echeverria Delorez, Alcaiceria numero 33; 
Pivardiferre A.. 3.=* calle de Plateros numero 5; Rivero Luis, calle de San 
Jos6 el Real uumero 14; Reyhaud E., calle del Espiritu Santo numero 10; 
Deverdun H., Paente del Espiritu Santo; Perezcano L. G., Portal del 
Aguila de Oro. 

Booksellers. — Terrova Ramon, calle de Flamencos numeros 18 y 19; 
Andrade y Morales, Portal de Agustinos numero 13 ; Buxo Juan, calle del 
Coliseo Yiejo numero 35; Murguia Eduardo, calle del Coliseo Viejo mi^ 
mero 3; Viucourt Carlos, calle del Espiritu Santo numero 5; Bouret y 
comp., calle del Refugio y Puente del Espiritu Santo; Nicolaye, calle de 
Gante y San Francisco; Chavez Nabor, Portal del Aguila de Oro; Jeno J. 
Federico, calle de San Jos6 el Real numero 33 ; Dublan y comp., 3. '^ calle 
de Plateros numero 4; Bouret y comp., calle de San Jos6 el Real 18 ; Cudin 
A., 8.°^ calle de San Francisco numero 3; Cueva Ramon, calle del Semi- 
nario numero 3 ; Abadiano Francisco, calle de las Escalerill as numero 7; 
Aguilar 6 Hijos, J. M., 1 ^ calle de Santo Domingo numero 5; Ballesca y 
comp., calle del Amor de Dios numero 4. 

Lumber. — Galindez Diego, calle de los Misterios de San Lazaro niimero 
8 ; Garcia y Vega, calle de Guatimotzin numero 4 ; Landa Juan A. , calle 
de la Escobilleria numero 4 ; Palacios y comp. , calle de la Providencia ; 
Sanchez Carlos, Plazuela de Juan Carbonero; Bueno J. M., 3? calle del 
Salto del Agua numero 9; Valle de G. M., 1.'^ calle de Necatitlan numero 
1 ; Vald^s Manuel, Plazuela de Juan Carbonero numero 6 ; Sanchez Bar- 
quera E., Plazuela de Villamil numero 4; Tellez Antonio, 3. "^ calle de 
Revillagigedo ; Huerta y comp., calle del Matadero numero 20; Hernandez 
y Aranzabal, calle del Cacahuatal numero 13 ; Guerrero Manuel, calle del 
Matadero numero 7; Guerrero Geronimo, calle, de Guatimotzin numero 16; 
Romero Francisco, calle de Chaneque numero 33^ ; Rio y Cantero, calle 
del Matedero niimero 11 ; Fonseca de G. Victoriano, Plazuela de la Con- 
cepcion numero 5; Meza Nicolas, calle de Cadena niimero 1. 

Fine Hardware and Tools. — Del Rio Jos6 Maria, calle de la Palma; Fabre 
Julio, 1 "^ calle de San Francisco ; Gagne y comp. , calle del Refugio nii- 
mero 9; Garcia Eduardo, 1 '^ calle de Santo Domingo numero 9; Tellez 
y comp., 1 ■* calle de Plateros niimero 17; Bocker y comp., Puente del 
Espiritu Santo niimero 4; Gutierrez Miguel, Puente del Palacio, numero 
4; El mismo, calle de Flamencos y Portaeoeli; Lefebre A., calle de la 
Palma y Refugio; El mismo, 3 =? calle de la Monterilla y San Bernardo; 
Jacot A., calle de Tlapaleros niimero 19; Gutheil y comp., calle de la 
Palma niimero 13 ; El mismo, calle de Ocampo niimero 1 ; El mismo, calle 
de Flamencos niimeros 33 y 24; Lohse y comp., sucesores, calle de la 
i*alma numeros 9, 10 y 11; Rivero Luis, calle de San Jos6 el niimero 14; 
Garazo Luis C, 3 °? calle de Plateros numero 2; Pivardiere A., 3 °? calle 
de Plateros numero 5; Uriarte y comp., calle del Empedradillo numero 10; 
Calpini y comp., 3 '^ de San Francisco numero 5 ; Joransson C, 3 *? de 



XI 

San Francisco nlimero 4; Boneru^ Pablo, caile del Refugio ndmero 9; 
Zivy David, 1 ^. calle de Plateros niimero 11; Jougla y comp., calle de 
Lerdo y Refugio; Troncoso y Silvetti, calle del Refugio niimero 7; Bizet y 
comp., calle de Capuchinas y Angel; Mondragon Rafael, calle de Fla- 
mencos mimero 4; Dichl y comp., calle de Flamencos niimero 4; Izquierdo 
y Garibay, calle de Meleros niimeros 101 y 4; Villanueva Rafael, calle de 
Flamencos niimero 5; Phillips y comp., calle del Empedradillo ; El mismo, 
calle de San Bernardo y Flamencos; Munguia 6 hijos, calle de la Merced 
niimero 7. 

Silversmiths. — Villasenor Joaquin, calle de San Jos6 el Real; Aranda 
Francisco, calle de la Alcaiceria niimero 17; Velarde Apolonio, calle de 
San Felipe JN'eri niimero 1; Canas Pedro, 1. =* calle de Plateros numero 8; 
Carrillo Guadalupe, calle de Ortega niimero 9 ; Carrillo Jesus, calle del 
Puente Quebrado niimero 30; Saldivar Sostenes, calle de Balvanera nii- 
mero 18; Ponton Antonio, calle de Donceles mimero 3; Nieva J., calle 
de la Alcaiceria mimero 13 ; Llop J. , calle de Santa Clara niimero 7 ; Cosio 
Alejandro, calle del Hospicio San Nicolas mimero 1; Cberlin Jesus, 1.'' 
calle de la Independencia numero 3. 

Saloons. — Iturbe Manuel, esquina de Mesones y Tompeate; El mismo, 
1. =* calle de Factor y Sta. Clara; El mismo, 1. =^ calle de Santo Domingo; 
El mismo, Bajos de Porta Cceli; El mismo, calle de San Bernardo niimero 
10 ; El mismo, calle del Factor niimero 4 ; Torres Adalid I., 2. '^ calle de 
Santo Domingo niimero 2 ; El mismo, 1. "^ calle de la Independencia 
numero 3; El mismo, esquina de la calle de Leon y Dolores; El mismo, 
calle de Leon; El mismo, esquina de San Juan de Letran 6 Indepen- 
dencia; El mismo, 2.'^ calle de las Damas; El mismo, calle de Santa 
Clara niimero 18; El mismo, calle de Jesus niimero 18; Saenz Patri- 
cio, Ex-colegio del Seminario ; El mismo, calle de San Bernardo niimero 1 ; 
El mismo, calle de Tacuba; El mismo, callejon del Espiritu Santo; El 
mismo, 1.=* calle de las Damas; Campero Manuel, calle del Coliseo nii- 
mero 4; El mismo, Bajos de Porta Cceli; Castillo Manuel J., Bajos de 
Porta Cceli ; El mismo, calle del Indio Triste ; Garnica Ramon, calle de la 
Alcaiceria; El mismo, esquina de San Andres y Factor; Guadarrama M,, 
callejon de las Delicias y calle Ancha; Zamudio J., calle de la Aduana 
Viejay Corchero; El mismo, esquina de la Puerta Falsa y Sepulcros de 
Santo Domingo. 

General Merchandise.— Uuerta. A., Plazuela de Villamil mimero 2 ; Oro- 
peza Demetrio, esquina de Santa Catarina y Estanco de Hombres ; Almi- 
raill P., esquina de Medinas y Santo Domingo; Atucha Casiano, esquina 
de Santa Clara y Vergara; Sordo Noriega A., esquina de San Lorenzo y 
Leon; Casprina Wenceslao, esquina de la Pila Seca y Cerca de Santo 
Domingo; Yarto y Trueba, 2 ^ calle del Factor niimero 6; Marquez 
Isidoro, esquina de la 2 ? calle de la Amargura y Gachupines ; Perez An- 
tonio, esquiua de Tacuba y Manrique ; Espinosa y comp. , esquina de Tacuba 
y Alcaiceria ; Loidi bermano, esquina del Aguila y Leon ; Sordo Vicente, 
esquina del Jardin y Verdeja; Briz German, Espalda de San Lorenzo y 
Misericordia; Llano Cayetano, esquina de las Papas y Estanco de Hom- 
bres ; Barquin Vidal, Puento de Santo Domingo niimero 5 ; Llano Pedro, 
esquina de Santa Catarina yRinconada; Perez Francisco S., esquina de 
Santa Catarina y Estanco de Hombres; Posada y Fernandez, calle de 
Mecateros niimero 16; Gavito Manuel, esquina de Tacuba y San Jos6 el 
Real; Garcia Benito, calle de la Alcaiceria niimero 3; Garcia Amado, 
calle de Santa Ana letra A.; El mismo, calle de Santa Ana niimero 5; Le- 
canda Juan, esquina de San Andres y Mariscala; Gutierrez y Garcia A., 
calle de Leon numero 11; Zaballa Ignacio, 1. ^ calle del Factor niimero 6; 
Hermosillo Eduardo, esquina de la Cazuela y Arquillo; Rozada M., calle 
de Verdeja; Posada y Fernandez, Alcaiceria niimero 5; Martin Francisco 
S., San Diego y San Hipdlito; El mismo, Portillo de San Diego; Mijares 
y Urrutia, Portillo de San Diego ; Mijares Ramon, esquina de Peredo y 



Xll 

San Juan ; Gutierrez Federico, Plazuela de San Juan -aumero 3 ; Gutierrez 
Patricio, San Cosme y Santa Maria de la Rivera; Lopez Mariano, esquina 
de Nueva Mexico y Guadalupe; Yarto Ignacio, esquina de la Mariscala y 
Gallos; Herrero Manuel, calle del Nino Perdido niimero 63^; Balmori R., 
esquina del Santisimo y Rebeldes ; Herrero Cristobal, calle del ZStifio Per- 
dido; Herrera Agustin, Plazuela de San Juan numero 4; Caso Ramon, 
esquina del Sapo y SantisiuiO; Kuiz Antonio, cal J e del Sapo numero 18; 
Moreno Hermenegildo, calle del Jardiu numero 9; Fernandez Santiago, 
esquina de la Estampa de San Lorenzo y Misericordia; Quesada Dolores, 
Plazuela del Jardin numero 5; Arias Agustin, callejon de Dolores numero 
11 ; Benet Jos6, 2. '^ calle del Factor numero 3 ; Montes de Oca D., Estanco 
de Hombres numero 10 ; Noriega Remigio, esquina de Plateros y Alcai- 
ceria; Gavito Domingo, plazuela de Juan Carbonero numero 4; Helguera 
Vidal, esquina del Puente de San Francisco y Lopez; Guazo Angel, pla- 
zuela de Zaragoza (Angeles) ; Noriega y comp., esquina de la Magnolia y 
Lerdo ; Ibarra y comp., Humboldt numero 3 ; Helguera J. M., esquina de 
las calles Ancba y Artes; Gomez B., esquina de Santa Isabel y Puente de 
San Francisco; Abascal M., esquina de la plazuela de Madrid y San Juan 
de Dios; Ponton hermanos, Camarones numero 18; Perez y Fernandez, 
Hoacalco y Pelota ; Mendez y Antonio, esquina de las calles Ancha y Deli- 
cias; Roquena Adrian, callejon de Dolores numero 14; Aldama Victor, 
calle de Alvarado numero 1; Pesac Angela, callejon de Dolores niimero 4; 
Crespo y Gandarillas, calle de Lerdo I. ; Robina y comp., San Bernardo y 
Callejuela ; Sotres y Noriega, Portal de las Flores numero 8 ; Ortiz her- 
mano, Hospital de Jesus, esquina; Marroquin Federico, esquina del Puente 
de Jesus y San Felipe de Jesus ; Gonzalez y Gonzalez, esquina de las calles 
3. "^ del Rastro y Cuadrante de San Miguel ; Ortiz y comp. , San Felipe de 
Jesus y 3. °^ de la Aduana; Sordo y comp, 2. "^ de la Aduana Vieja y 
Cuadrante de San Miguel ; Noriega Alonso, Puente de Jesus Maria nu- 
mero?; Solorio Benito, calle del Consuelo, esquina; Enriquez heimano, 
Puente del Fierro numero 12; Sanchez Rivero, Mercado Principal 13 yl5; 
Yald6z Gabino, 3.°^ calle de Santo Tomasy Plazuela de la Palma; Baranda 
ycomp., Bajos de Porta Coeli, esquina; Villalobos Agustin, 2.°^ de Mauza- 
nares numero 8; Pandal hermanos, Meleros 1; Crespo Baltazar, calle de 
Flamencos 6; Noriega y Santos, 2. '^ calle de Manzanares 12; Mijares Man- 
uel, Manzanares y Busanillo ; Fuentes y Gutierrez, 1. =* calle de Manzanares, 
esquina; EI mismo, 1.'^ de Manzanares 17; Ortiz hermano, Ratas y Portal 
de Tejada; Pujon Juan, Colegio de ninas y Coliseo; Vega Jos6, calle de 
Don Toribio 6; Somoano Remigio, esquina de la Polilla y San Juan; Bar- 
cena Jos6, calle de Don Toribio numero 10; Lopez Bernardo, 2.'=* de 
Regina y Salto del Agua; Valle y Gutierrez, esquina de la Independencia 
y Coliseo ; Posada y Ruiz de Noriega, esquina del Espiritu Santo y Refugio; 
Hidalgo Jos6, calle de Alfaro numero 11; Gonzalez Jos6, calle del Puente 
Quebrado 5; Gutierrez y Abascal, calle del Coliseo Viejo 7; Segura Guill- 
ermo, esquina del Coliseo y Espiritu Santo; Alva Celedonio, esquina de 
Gante y San Francisco; Busto y Ortis, 1.* calle de San Francisco niimero 
14; Aparicio Juan, 3.=^ calle de San Juan y Vizcainas; Gonzalez y C. "^ 
3. * calle de San Juan y Plazuela de las Vizcainas; Lecunda Juan, esquina 
de Ortega y San Juan; Sordo y Marcos, 1. * calle de la Aduana Vieja; 
Casso Manuel, calle de la Palma numero 5; Crespo y Abascal, esquina de 
los portales de Mercaderes yAgustinos; Castillo Jos6 O., esquina de las 
calles de Alfaro y Mesones ; S. Juan Mariano, esquina de las calles del 
Angel y Cadena; Perez Facundo, 1.** de las Damas y Tiburcio; Sordo 
Juan, esquina de la 1.* calle de Mesones y Regina; Perez y Pacheco, 
Puente de Monzon y San Geronimo, esquina; Sordo Noriega M., esquina 
de Don Toribio y Monserrate; Carreras Evaristo, esquina de Zuleta y Hos- 
pital Real; Portillo hermanos, esquina de la 2.=* de las Damas y Puente 
Quebrado; El mismo, esquina de la 1. * de San Juan y Puente Quebrado; 
Robina y Arenas, calle de Zaragoza numero 1 ; Noriega Fernando, esquina 



xm 

(ie la Merced y Puente de Jesus Maria; Noriega Manuel 9., esquina de In 
Universidad y Meleros; Sanchez y Fernandez, Mercado Principal 63 y 
64; Sanchez y Martinez, calle de Flamencos 10 y 13; Saicedo y Fernandez, 
calle de Porta Coeli 36 y 38; Fernandez y comp., calle de Porta Coeli 39 y 
41 ; Ponton Ramon, calle de Porta Coeli 1 ; Oraris Jos6, 2. "^ calle de la 
Merced 15; Mijares Juan, esquina de la calles de Jesus y Parque del 
Conde ; Flores Agustin, Nahuatatlo, esquina ; Mijares Antonio, Estampa de 
Jesus, esquina; Cabrales Jos^, San Jos6 de Gracia, esquina; Noriega 
Santos, calle de las Gallas, esquina; Isla y comp., calle de las Gallas, 
esquina; Aceves Victoriano, Puente de la Lena, esquina; Ortiz Juan O., 
1.°^ calle del Reloj y Escalerillas ; Noriega y comp., 3 '^ calle del Indio 
Triste y Hospicio de San Nicolas ; Fernandez Manuel, esquina de Celaya 
y Puente de Santo Domingo ; Hermosa Estanislao, esquina de la Plaza 
de la Santisima y Maravillas; Gonzalez Gaspar, esquina de San Ildefonso 
y San Pedro y San Pahlo ; Gonzalez Candido, esquina del Relox y Mon- 
tealegre; Vadles Juan, esquina de la 6 '^ del Relox y Golosas. 

Lawyers. — Aguilar Jesus Maria, Acequia 83; Azpiroz Manuel, Escale- 
rillas 1 ; Barros Jos6 Maria, 3 '? del Reloj 5 ; Becerra Carlos, San Hip61ito 
5; Calva Est^van, Alcaiceria 5 ; Castaneda y NajeraVidal, Cordobanes 15; 
DiazBarreiro P., Monzon 7; Dond6 Rafael, 1 ^ del Factor 3; Enriquez 
Gumesindo, Alcaiceria 17; Escoto Joaquin, Medinas 10; Hammeken y 
Mexia J., 1 ?* de la Independencia 12; Hidalgo y Teran M., Seminario 8, 
Frederic Hall ; Islas Gabriel, Zuleta 16 ; Islas y Bustamante Nicolas, calle- 
jon de Santa Inds 5; Martinez del Rio P., Seminario 5; Mendez Luis, 
Hospicio de San Nicolas 4; Palacio Antonio del, 3 J' de las Damas 2; 
Palacios Rafael, 3 ? de las Damas 6; Salazar y Murphy Joaquin M., 
Puente del Correo Mayor 5; Sanchez Ramon, Santa Teresa 8; Tapia 
Joaquin C, Plazuela de la Santisima 1 ; Vallarta Ignacio, San Agustin 9 ; 
Velazco Ignacio,,Manrique 5. 

Hotels. — Guillow San Jos6 el Real ; Nacional, 3 ?* calle de San Francisco ; 
Vergara, calle de Vegara; Comonfort, calle de Cincode Mayo; Bazar, calle 
del Espiritu Santo; Bella Union, calle de la Palmay Refugio; Europa, 
calle del Coliseo; Gran Sociedad, calle del Espiritu Santo y Coliseo; 
TJniTersal, calle del Puente del Espiritu Santo y Coliseo ; Havre, 1 f* calle 
de la Independencia; Iturbide, 2 5* calle de San Francisco ; Refugio, calle 
del Refugio; San Agustin, calle de San Agustin; San Carlos, calle del 
Coliseo Viejo; Tlapaleros, calle del Refugio; Turco, calle del Coliseo; 
Cuatro Naciones, calle de Tacuba; Guadalupe, calle del Parque del Conde; 
La Estrella, calle de Tlapaleros; Ortega, calle del Ortega; Cordobanei, 
calle de Cordobanes ; Escalerillas, calle de las Escalerillas. 



3477-6 



